In honor of the first solo show of Sten & Lex at CO2 Gallery, Drago is proud to announce the release of the exhibition catalogue: Sten & Lex.
The catalogue presents 40 pages of works created specifically for the exhibition as well as photographs of their best street work and critical texts by Maria Luisa Bixio, Davide Giannella and Gianluca Marziani, with introduction by gallery owner Giorgio Galotti.
For the occasion Sten & Lex have designed 100 ultra limited edition stenciled boxes, which contains a copy of the book and a signed and numerated print from the most famous stencil couple on the old continent.
Starting Friday, March 12th you can buy books and boxes at the CO2 Gallery or on www.dragolab.com

In occasione della mostra di Sten & Lex alla Galleria CO2 Drago è lieta di annunciare la pubblicazione dell’omonimo catalogo.
40 pagine a colori, nuove tavole realizzate per l’occasione e i migliori scatti delle loro opere in strada, oltre a testi critici di Maria Luisa Bixio, Davide Giannella, Gianluca Marziani e l’introduzione del curatore Giorgio Galotti.
Per l’evento sono state realizzate anche 100 box stencilate in edizione limitata, contenenti una copia del libro e un’opera numerata.
Da venerdì 12 marzo potrete acquistare i libri e l’edizione limitata alla Galleria CO2 o su www.dragolab.com

• CO2 Gallery.com »

La casa editrice Drago è lieta di annunciare la sua partecipazione alla Serata di Gran Gala  organizzata da La Fondazione Italiana Verso il Futuro ONLUS.

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Alla serata interverranno più di 400 ospiti tra cui personaggi del mondo dello spettacolo, della musica, della televisione del cinema e dello sport. Oltre alla cena, verranno organizzate un’asta di beneficienza e una lotteria, con ricchi premi offerti dagli sponsor.

Dopo la  Cena di Gala si potrà ballare fino a tarda notte con musica dal vivo e animazioni nella splendida cornice del “Salone dei cavalieri”, all’interno dell’hotel Rome Cavalieri, The Waldorf Astoria Collection.

Partecipa anche tu! Basta inviare una mail con la tua adesione all’indirizzo di posta elettronica info@dragolab.com

Prezzo a persona € 130.00.

È gradito l’abito scuro.

Ti aspettiamo, venerdì 12 marzo 2010 alle ore 20:30 in via Alberto Cadlolo, 101 – 00136 Roma

• Fondazione Italiana Verso il Futuro ONLUS »

Nunca, street artist brasiliano noto a livello mondiale, sarà ospite martedi 9 marzo presso lo store Special (C.so di Porta Ticinese, 80) a Milano per regalare una performance nel suo stile inconfondibile, in occasione del lancio della Collezione True Colors Nike Sportswear.

Il progetto True Colors Nike Sportswear nasce dalla collaborazione con altri 5 artisti (oltre Nunca) provenienti da altrettante nazioni per celebare in modo originale e innovativo il gioco del calcio come momento di incontro tra sport, arte e cultura. I sei artisti coinvolti Nunca (BR), James Jarvis (UK), Delta (NL), So Me (FR), Mr Cartoon (USA), Kronk (South Africa) hanno realizzato – ispirandosi alle divise delle nazionali di calcio -  6 supporter kit attraverso dimostrare orgoglio e passione per la propria squdra.

Nunca – da buon brasiliano - ha il calcio nel sangue e il suo coinvolgimento nel progetto è nato in modo spontaneo e naturale: una tributo che ha dedicato alla sua nazione. La collezione si ispira al simbolismo Inca e allo stile primitivo dei graffiti brasiliani "Pixação”; nasce così una collezione che mette in connessione il popolo delle favelas con lo sport a cui tengono di più - il calcio.
Il logo, che celebra “i cinque volte” campioni del mondo, lo stile di scrittura geroglifico e la fantasia utilizzata nella personalizzazione dei capi, sembrano creare un legame magico con il passato in modo moderno.

Come sostiene Jarrett Reynolds,  Design Director della linea abbigliamento NIKE SPORTSWEAR "i capi sono stati realizzati negli stessi colori della divisa ufficiale di ogni nazionale di calcio, reinterpretati secondo il tocco originale degli artisti coinvolti".

Gli artisti sono stati chiamati a realizzare per ciascuna squadra un kit comprendente un badge, una mascotte, un motivo grafico e un lettering grafico.


NUNCA
Il noto street artist brasiliano Nunca sottolinea gli effetti della globalizzazione sulla nostra società, intrappolata tra l’esportazione della propria cultura e l’importazione di prodotti stranieri.
Le sue incisive riflessioni vengono così iscritte sui muri del Brasile, colorate e contrassegnate dal logo Naique (Nike). I suoi personaggi sembrano pietrificati nello sforzo di preservare l’autenticità della cultura brasiliana, nonostante la necessità di adattarsi al flusso di prodotti in arrivo dal mercato globale. Nunca è stato parte essenziale del libro “Graffiti Brazil”, pubblicato nel 2005, ed è stato invitato recentemente al Museo di Arte Moderna di San Paulo. Quest’anno inoltre gli è stato affidato il compito di decorare completamente gli esterni di un castello scozzese, insieme agli artisti, e amici, Os Gemeos e Nina Z.

Facebook is a blessing and a curse for many... It allows you to stay in touch with friends, family, and acquaintances, share pictures, poke, throw a sheep at, create events, invite people to those events, request and suggest friendships, and become a “fan” of pretty much anything. On the other hand it is the black-hole time-suck that tells you that your “friend” John (with whom you haven’t spoken since 1998) got married to Sarah (who you have never met) and allows you to look at their beautiful wedding pictures from Key Largo. Great. And maybe a little bit creepy.
My most recent experience is somewhat different, but basically stems from the same concept: before Facebook we wouldn’t have a clue as to what was going on in other people’s lives unless we picked up the phone and called them. Originally a native New Yorker, I left for Rome about four years ago, now only to learn bits and pieces about the life I left behind through what I refer to as the “Stalker Feed.” So what’s my point?
News about Re-Creation II at Ogilvy and Mather came to me via Facebook. “Your Friend was tagged in a photo. Re-Creation II - Carmichael Gallery comes to NYC!. And of course I click…I was instantly transported to my internship from my senior year in high school, wandering the halls of Ogilvy and Mather desperately in search of the restroom. The maze of cubicles and hallways and red color everywhere was somewhat baffling and extremely overwhelming for the 17 year-old me. Now I just find it funny that Facebook connected a person from my present to an experience that for me seems like a lifetime ago. And of course my Father (who works at Ogilvy) forwarded me the press release later that afternoon, saying, “you might find this interesting…for a number of reasons.”

And I did.

Press Release
In collaboration with Carmichael Gallery, Ogilvy & Mather New York is hosting Re-Creation II, a global exploration of emerging art, from March 5th through July 2010. The exhibit will be held at the Ogilvy & Mather headquarters on New York City’s West Side at 636 11th Avenue. Re-Creation II will showcase some of the most important emerging contemporary artists from around the world.
Large-scale murals, installations and original canvas, sculpture and mixed media works will be on display from Will Barras, Simon Birch, Boxi, Ethos, Mark Jenkins, Labrona, Aakash Nihalani, Nina Pandolfo and WK Interact. Many of these artists, who are based in the UK, Hong Kong, Germany, Brazil, the US and Canada, have never shown in New York before, and have never shown together.
Ogilvy & Mather will transform five floors and the lobby space of its new headquarters in The Chocolate Factory into a museum-quality exhibition space. As viewers ascend each floor, they can experience the upward momentum of the artwork. Re-Creation II is the second exhibit to be hosted by Ogilvy & Mather in its new space. It follows the inaugural Re-Creation exhibit, which featured the work of 12 emerging artists who use recycled materials to create unique forms of art. That exhibit will also be viewable through the end of March.
The opening reception of the exhibit will be held on Friday, March 5 with several of the artists in attendance at Ogilvy & Mather. The exhibition will run through July 31, 2010.

Re-Creation II on Ogilvy.com

• CarmichaelGallery.com »

Since leaving New York City a few months ago to spend some time in Thailand, Judith Supine has moved in a new direction with his artwork.
So far, he's posted photos on his flickr of three new outdoor pieces. None have his trademark Supine-green tint, and all three are more like 2d sculptures than wheatpastes. Like Supine's famous girl atop the Williamsburgh Bridge, these new works are being placed in unexpected places (such as trees).

I imagine these would be some of the strangest things to see in person, especially if you aren't looking for them. But don't worry, the work still has other classic Supine characteristics, like being made of randomly sourced photos that have been collaged together and looking subtly disturbing. Of course, art that looks good outdoors doesn't always work well inside a gallery.

I'm curious to see what sort of studio work Supine is making, and if it has any relation to these new pieces.

Updates from RJ Rushmore
4 March, 2010

• Vandalog.com »

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
March 6 – 27, 2010
Opening Reception/Book Release Party:
Saturday, March 6, 8 – 11pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm
Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Avenue
(in the ART 170 Building)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-4408

Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present "Down The Rabbit Hole," an exhibition of new work by Camille Rose Garcia. The opening reception on March 6th will celebrate the release of Harper Collins’ new edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia, as well as new paintings inspired by the book.
In the original illustrations that will be on display, Garcia brings one of literature’s most beloved characters to life in her trademark dark yet whimsical style. Pairing watercolors with her usual bold acrylics, Garcia captures Lewis Carroll’s dream-like fantasy world in a fresh and exciting visual reinterpretation of the classic story.
The Disney-gone-wrong style that has earned Garcia international acclaim is a natural fit for Carroll’s fantastical story. The vibrancy of her illustrations draws the viewer in and breathes new life into the familiar narrative. For “Down The Rabbit Hole,” Garcia continues to explore Wonderland in a distinctive exhibition of new artwork that picks up where the book leaves off.
Garcia grew up in the shadow of Disneyland in Orange County, and she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from The University of California, Davis. A mid-career survey of her work was shown at the San Jose Museum of Art in 2007. Three other books of her work have been published, The Saddest Place on Earth, 2005, The Magic Bottle, 2006, and Tragic Kingdom, 2007.
Garcia's work has been featured in Flaunt Magazine, Nylon, Paper Magazine, Modern Painters, Art Prostitute, Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, LA Weekly and The Los Angeles Times. Her art has been exhibited in Spain, Germany, France, and Italy, as well as numerous cities in the United States. She currently lives with her husband in Northern California.
Garcia will be signing books at the party on March 6th, which will feature special musical guests, cupcakes, and beverages provided by Bear Flag Wines and Honest Tea. Books and new limited edition giclées will be available for purchase.

• Merry Karnowsky official webpage »

For his second engagement with Italian street art, Giorgio Galotti is pleased to present the first official private show of the two Roman street artists, Sten&Lex. The title of the show refers to the acronyms of their tags, which combined indicate the revolution of their decision to engage in work together, no longer individually, but side by side.

Known primarily for their public interventions, they have been stimulating interest with press and critics for some time, attracting all kinds of fans, not only those of graffiti and street art, but also those involved in more institutional aspects of contemporary art. This exhibition is the official debut of the artists in a gallery setting. For this reason, the progression of the display was studied diligently from conception to development in order to maintain synchronization between the poetic language and narrative in their works.

The work of Sten&Lex continues after their study of recovered from historic photographic archives in Italy from the 1960s and 1970s, establishing a new style, albeit realized with old methods. The poster technique is a point of commonality between them, and has made them a phenomenon of international acclaim. The unpublished works shown in this exhibition were realized more meticulously than previous undertakings, and this is to become a distinct characteristic of their works to come as they explore the use of stencil on paper.

This new technique develops in three fundamental stages: in part as a reintroduction of stencil, a method of which --sten-, creator of the hole school, was one of the Italian innovators; applied technically as on poster, the preferred medium of Lex; all synthesized with the practice of décollage in the style of Jacques Villeglé or Mimmo Rotella, which, once the glue dries, gives life to the final work, leaving a sign as primitive as worn.

Sten&Lex live in symbiosis during process of each creation, envisioning each subject, developing it, and, once determined, focusing on implementing it as if they were ancient scribes slowly executing an intricate and elaborate art. What emerges is a technically complex work that culminates into a popular icon. Their approach to the creation of the artwork is extremely introspective. In the photographic documentaries of their public works one always finds a hooded figure present, as if the artists intended to narrate the story of our era from the perspective of a mysterious loner with a poetically hidden identity.

In the panorama of international street art they are known and esteemed for an unusual peculiarity in the art world: the privacy with which they shroud their undertakings.

Recently Banksy, sent Sten&Lex, as unique artists of their genre, to London for the latest Can's Festival.

For this occasion, a catalogue and a limited edition box will be published by DRAGO with critic texts by Maria Letizia Bixio, Davide Giannella e Gianluca Marziani.

Press Preview Friday, March 12 at 12.30

Opening Friday, March 12 at 18.30

Co2 Gallery

contact at: info@co2gallery.com - Borgo Vittorio, 9b - 00193, Roma - Tel. + 39.06.45.47.12.09, Fax +39.06.45.47.34.15

• Check out more @ CO2 Gallery »

VICTOR CASTILLO: STRANGE FRUIT & MISS VAN: SHE-WOLVES

Until March 6, 2010

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm

Merry Karnowsky Gallery

170 S. La Brea Avenue

(in the ART 170 Building)

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present Victor Castillo: Strange Fruit and Miss Van: She-Wolves. The two Barcelonabased artists unfold their unique personal perspectives on subjects like seduction, temptation, innocence, desire, and cruelty.

A moral allegorist, Chilean artist Victor Castillo pairs classical painting with cartoon-like characters. He paints children in

dark secret gardens, where they innocently reenact violent media images with brutality and indifference. Most of the characters in Castillo’s paintings have phallic, hot-dog shaped noses, humorously suggesting Pinocchio. He also makes reference to contemporary culture, human error and vices, politics, and the loss of values in the increasing consumption of modern life, which he sees as an insatiable desire that blinds us. Castillo’s work has shown in Spain, Chile, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Germany, the United States, Canada, Belgium and Taiwan, and has been featured in Juxtapoz and Hi- Fructose magazines.

French artist Miss Van has become one of the best-known female painters from the graffiti scene, gaining worldwide acclaim for her work. In She-Wolves, the ultra-feminine “poupées” (dolls) wear animal heads as they reflect on their dark, predatory natures. Always seductive and mysterious, Miss Van’s characters reside in a mystical world of quiet introspection, as they get in touch with their feminine power and the dangerous animal within.

While Castillo’s work challenges the viewer with the consequences of allowing our weak human nature take control, Miss Van’s work asks a different question: What happens if we surrender to our animal nature?

Miss Van’s work has shown in the United States, France, England, Austria, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Australia, and has been featured in Juxtapoz and Swindle magazines.

For more information, please contact Merry Karnowsky at mkgallery@att.net

• Merry Karnowsky Gallery »

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
Five Year Anniversary Group Exhibition
Featuring work by 40 Artists

February 27th—March 27th, 2010

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Jonathan LeVine Gallery will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a commemorative group exhibition featuring exceptional and exemplary new works by forty artists who are either currently represented by the gallery or who have exhibited at the gallery in the past five years. The exhibition will be on view from February 27—March 27, 2010, and there will be an opening reception on Saturday, February 27, from 7—9pm.

Since 2005, Jonathan LeVine Gallery has been an important venue for Street Art (ephemeral work placed in public urban environments) and Pop Surrealism (work influenced by illustration, comic book art, and pop culture imagery). As such, the pieces in this exhibition—comprised of paintings, drawings, and sculptures—will be primarily figurative with a strong sense of narration.

Artists in this exhibition have developed prominent creative voices for themselves as individuals, while also playing valuable roles within the historical context of the larger Street Art and/or Pop Surrealism movements. All of them have been influential in shaping the gallery’s program, creating work with a unique counter-culture point of view.

In LeVine’s words: “I believe that my program represents a generational shift, and that the artists who I work with will continue to define the evolution of this genre.”

Artists in the exhibition include: Adam Wallacavage, AJ Fosik, Andrew Brandou, Andy Kehoe, Blek le Rat, Chris Mars, Dan Witz, Date Farmers, Dave Cooper, Doze Green, Eric White, Erik Mark Sandberg, Esao Andrews, Gary Baseman, Gary Taxali, Invader, Isabel Samaras, James Jean, Jeff Soto,?Jim Houser, Josh Agle (Shag), Kathy Staico Schorr, Mark Dean Veca, MARS-1, Miss Van, Natalia Fabia, Nouar, Plankton, Ray Caesar, Ron English, Scott Musgrove, Shepard Fairey, Souther Salazar, Stephan Doitschinoff (Calma), Tara McPherson, Titi Freak, WK, and Xiaoqing Ding.

 
For the complete Press Release visit the Gallery’s website.

• check out more at the gallery's website »

Os Gemeos - In the Arms of Angels at Patricia Armocida - Milan.

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I arrived at Galleria Patricia Armocida the morning of the opening for In the Arms of Angels. It was a cold day in Milan and I was happy to find the warmth of the gallery hidden away in an underground space, somewhat off the beaten path. Walking into the space I was instantly struck by the vibrant and unrelenting colors that surrounded me. The first impression that I received was just fitting for the title of the show, as though I had just walked into warm and comforting arms that were happy to take me out of the frigid milanese air.

I sat down with the artists who call themselves Os Gemeos, or the twins, twin brothers from Sao Paolo, Brazil. We started to chat about the show and where the inspiration for the title came from, even though upon seeing the works I understood immediately. However it was a feeling that I couldn't quite put my finger on and I wanted some kind of explanation as to from where it was coming, but all I got was, "It was very natural, it just came out."

And that's how the rest of our interview went, it just came out.

Most of their artistic influences came from American and European styles of graffiti, more so than from Brazilian folklore or other South American traditions in mural painting. However graffiti has been only one line in their lives and one means for expression as they worked on the search for self and their artistic voice.

There was something about them that struck me as being free spirited and open to the world around them, a world in which they play a very active role. Not restricted to any kind of limitation they have been able to develop and create different ways of painting, which can be seen in their work like a time line through experience, exposure, and experimentation with an array of different influences from other cultures, styles of painting, sculpture, animation, and folklore.

They have extracted from their minds their way of seeing the world around them and they have produced a visual context in which to understand beauty in a time when things can seem very bleak. By taking this dark side and reinterpreting it, they have created a way to communicate their view with people who live outside of it. It is in their efforts that we see and can feel a world where it is more comfortable to exist and to live. Their primary focus is to send the message that they want to say through their work, whether people understand is less of a concern, but of course they hope we do.

"Art is a way to show what has happened. What has happened outside, what has happened inside of our hearts and to show our point of view, how we see everything. It just comes out. Like the way we breath… but maybe we have gone to far. We need to go here." He gestures to a photo of a girl on a mountain set against a summer red sky, "Here to the mountains, to feel the wind, the sun… some times you don't realize."

I pause. And stutter some. Just as I followed his finger out to the mountains, I came racing back, only this time understanding more how each canvas acts as a window out to different atmospheres, people, and personalities.

"Art is positive. It makes people think, sometimes even wake up. But we don't like to explain a lot about the paintings. People need to feel it. We don't like to limit interpretation."

We went out into the gallery to look at some of the work. I asked naively about the paintings done directly on the walls, one of which was my favorite, "What happens to them when the show is over?"

"They clean. Don't look sad. We already have the image in our heads. Alive. I think other people feel more sad because they don't have this everyday. We do. So it's o.k. if they clean. Sometimes its like having sex, you know? You put in a lot of energy and you create something beautiful, in the end you come and it's finished. Its a little bit like this. But then you do it again."

And we hope they do.

• OsGemeos Blog »

Galleria Patricia Armocida opened in Milan in 2007 with a solo exhibition from Os Gemeos and now after two and a half years the Brazilian twins have returned to the gallery for their show "In the Arms of the Angels". ------------------------------------------------------

 "The goal of the space," gallerist Patricia Armocida tells us in an interview for Drago, "was to open an arena that proposed this type of art in a serious way, from the point of view of both techniques and languages." She was very careful to not reduce this genre of art to mere aesthetics, and she doesn’t like to use the term "Street art." "If you paint on canvas, no one calls it Canvas Art!" She said.

 The connecting thread between all of the artists she represents is that all of them are grown in an underground and independent environment, whereby their fantasy and imagination is deeply different from the contemporary arts ones and has an added value.

 Patricia Armocida also said that she chooses artists that bring something new onto the artistic scene, that created something, and for that have their own unique style.

 "The first thing is poetry. It is not the decorative side that interests me, but the poetry. Is a matter of romance, power and the meaning of each work that becomes exposed. It's about their imagination and vision, which creates something unique, yet something universal."

 The fact that the works in question are realized on the street is only an added value. It demonstrates that these artists use the space around them. Although some artists work well in the street, this does not necessarily mean that their work will translate well into the gallery. However, the work of Os Gemeos translates well, and then some.

• GalleriaPatriciaArmocida.com »

Drago is proud to announce the preview of “Welcome to Frisco”, the upcoming exhibition of Mike Giant’s latest work, at the Spectrum Store, in Milan.

Thursday February24^th, at the newly inaugurated concept store, you will enjoy very good music, some new artworks by the artist, full of skulls, beautiful tattoed ladies and bicycles as always..  of course!

REBEL8 will also be there, with the new line of t-shirt, as new DRAGO books and the inevitable, ever green and irresistible Muerte and Coup D’Etat.

See you there!

Spectrum Store, via Felice Casati 29, 20124 Milan

• SpectrumStore.com »

This week London is in for a special treat: one of the world's most talented photorealistic graffiti writers is in town.

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Case is a founding member of Germany's Maclaim crew, and along with Tasso, Rusk and Akut, he has spent the last decade or so perfecting the art of photorealism with a spray can. With his show "Ever Odd or Even" opening this week at Signal Gallery, Case has been in town to set up the show as well as leave his mark on East London. I've been photographing and filming Case's work outdoors, so I thought I would share a few photos taken by myself and Unusualimage.

Also, I'm from chicago, so I can't help sharing this series of photos of Case painting a piece there back in 2007:

Ma'Claim Crew - Case - Montana Cans from Mazot Hiphop & Graffiti Shop on Vimeo.

Updates from RJ Rushmore
19 February, 2010

• Vandalog.com »

On Wednesday February 17, 2010 Spain’s first solo exhibition for American artist KAWS will open at the Galeria Javier Lopez in Madrid.

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His work is a mixture of the images and information that bombards our senses on a daily basis. By reinterpreting and repurposing these visual products of culture KAWS has developed his own artistic language by which he can address contemporary culture. KAWS undermines familiar sentiments of popular culture and offers a disconcerting vision of quotidian idols and advertisements. His work simultaneously navigates through and deconstructs socially accepted definitions of design, consumerism, urban culture, and the fine arts.

His signature X-ed out eyes illuminates the transitory nature of pop culture by combining imagery with concepts of mortality and ultimately suggests the collapse of popular culture as we know it.

The Works shown are representative of the artist and may not be available.
Please contact the gallery for available pieces

• GaleríaJavierLópez.com »

For those of us in the art world Jonathan LeVine is practically a household name.  For those who just like art, if you’re not familiar with Mr. LeVine himself you surely know the artists he represents.

LeVine started out as an independent curator in New York before opening a small gallery just outside Philadelphia. From there he moved into Philly proper for two years before making his way back to New York just five years ago.

In the late eighties and early nineties LeVine was putting together shows in bars that focused on illustration, underground comics, rock & roll covers, poster art, and the like. He was motivated primarily by the fact that the art he liked wasn’t considered legitimate art and what was didn’t interest him.

Today we consider LeVine’s old school art interests a formal art genre, however the movement that 20 odd years ago barely existed, has now morphed into something completely different. But LeVine has just continued to develop the niche of artists that he believes in without much regard to trends and labels.

Many people are quick to label LeVine’s gallery as an “urban art gallery”, but two-thirds of the work he represents is what people used to call “low-brow” or “pop-surrealism.” The term “urban art” is widely (mis)used in a synonymous fashion with “street art” and in fact works that should be considered “street” are fairly new to the gallery.

Today’s “street art” is something very different from it origins. In the beginning street art was associated strictly with graffiti and hip-hop culture and less so with narrative and figurative style painting. But LeVine says, “It’s not up to me to decide what’s what. I just show what I like, and I show the work that I think is important.”

For LeVine what’s important is work that transcends labels and stereotypes and ultimately work that transcends the imagery that is being depicted. “It’s work that represents a generational shift in the fine art world, in terms of work that is accessible and that uses a language that is understood by this generation. That being a visual language as we grew up in the age of television.”

One thing that LeVine searches for in the work of artists that he represents is the level of visual communication that is established between the viewer and the image. “Visual art is made because the message can’t be said. You are not going to be able to talk about an exceptional piece of work in a way that illuminates what it does any more than its existence and the experience of seeing it.” 

However, not all work is able to communicate on such a transcendental level. “Everyone is not supposed to be able to do it. When it all falls apart the only artists, gallerists, and dealers who will be left standing are the ones with merit, who are doing it for the right reasons, not to manipulate the market or take advantage of it in some way. Art isn’t a priority in people’s lives. It’s a luxury item and it shouldn’t be easy. Only the best should rise to the top.”

Cheers to that.

• JonathanLeVineGallery.com »

For the 9th edition of “Back in the Days” in Paris, after many Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, Ricky Powell, and many other icons of hiphop culture, organiser Nadim Makhlouf had invited Estevan Oriol to exhibit his pics. West Coast attitude, gangsta shit everywhere, hand signs, biatches, tattoos, low riding, Estevan Oriol is the ambassador for pictures of Latino culture, an ultra codified subculture where nothing is done by chance.

Now, I’ll admit that for a long time I used to envy gays and their Sunday afternoon “tea dance” –hey- don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing sexual to it, just that I thought it was awesome to have fun on such a god-awful boring day. At last I can enjoy Sundays thanks to Nadim’s “Back in the Day” afternoons, an event that brings back to life the best of hip-hop culture through dancing, old discs, rare trainers and awesome photos.

Estevan Oriol in Paris! Lucky for me, as for the last month or so, I have been glued to his photos in the 10 years of Upper Playground book, from the gallery in San Francisco with which he collaborated on a regular basis, through his most famous prints emblazoned on tee-shirts. When I shook his hand on the Saturday preceding the event, I got the impression he was at least two metres tall; my mates then called me a liar when they saw him the next day. So ok, he isn’t two metres tall, but to give you an idea of his size, he began as a bouncer for a club in L.A.; job he gave up pretty quickly, because couldn’t stand being called an asshole by drunken assholes.

To define his style in photography, always in black and white and always in silver film (about 10000 shots since he began his career), I suggest “gangsta pictures”: nah. “Ghetto pictures”? Nah. “Street life photography? Yeah, that’s right! It all began with backstage pictures when he was touring manager for House of Pain and Cypress Hill. He would shoot all the time, but would never develop them. It was his mates who would convince him to reveal his first rolls of film... The rest is history.

So, why so much black, and so much white, under California’s forever blue skies? Because, even in clothing, West Coast Gangsta style is mainly about black and white. He tells me that black and white is classical, the best in elegance. Look at George Clooney all in black, he’s cool, or Puff Daddy all in white, he’s cool. Few people look good dressed in yellow! Colour is good for women and pimps. Yeah, I answer, but check out Don Magic Juan, the king of Pimps and his colour code of green and yellow, green for the money, gold for the honey; he finishes the saying with me, and laughs to hear a little frenchie reciting the old classics. He tells me that nowadays, too many guys create their brands out of a packet of Skittles. For his own brand, Joker, created with his homie tattooist Mister Cartoon, there’s a little exception with a little navy blue and some grey.

I start on his tattoos and ask him if they were all done by Cartoon. They aren’t, as he started getting inked before Cartoon came along. He tells me he was his guinea pig for all of his first letterings and shows me the name of his grandmother he has on his ankle. If we are talking about the Estevan family, tell me if you are married, and if you have kids. Yes on both counts, and suddenly he grabs my new bible, the 10 years of Upper Ground book that I had brought along for him to comment on a few pics. He dives into it. And then stops on one of his most famous pictures; a nice big ass with “west” tattooed on the left butt-cheek, and “Coast” on the right. He points to it and laughs: “my daughter”. Oh fuck! A killing joke. Even at my wildest I wouldn’t have dared, and he’s just done it. A little more seriously, he carries on searching until he stops on what I consider to be the most gangsta of his female portraits, to announce that this is his wife. Angel is her name. Holy gangsta shit, it’s Mrs Oriol there, with a fucking gun in her hands. So Estevan, are you really what they call a G. or not? His answer; guilty by association, as they say. When you’re part of a gang it’s for life, and even if you’re not active, if one of your homies is in trouble, it’s your duty to be there for him.

Whatever, the guy is an absolute visual criminal as said by Nadim’s blog, a killer photographer. Beyond the pics of gang members and of low riding, he has taken photos of loads of movie stars, from Dennis Hopper to Danny Trejo (From Dusk till Dawn), many rap stars (with a preference for his mates from Boo-Yaa T.r.i.b.e) and hundreds of girls, hence his book “L.A Women” that he is promoting in Europe for the next 2 weeks, so thanks girls.

I ask him what “Back in the Days” means to him. He tells me that he’s disappointed that kids who are really into rap don’t know Bambaataa and don’t care. I tell him that it’s not the case here in France, that he will enjoy the Sunday event, that here everyone remembers the 4th commandment of the prophet, the famous “having fun”.

Which was the case when over 1200 hip-hop lovers came to check his hand the next day. It was pure Gangsta, gangsta love.

Olivier Schmitt
From "Cream Magazine"

• Cream Magazine website »

Drago is proud to announce the upcoming Mike Giant’s exhibition Welcome to Frisco, the first solo show in Milan, at the Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea Gallery - via Solferino 44.

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Giant for the occasion has realized new works with original themes and many that tell the story of the femme fatale, girls who roam the city on bicycles, proposing religious iconography and urban views of San Francisco, in addition to some surviving skulls.

Here you can see some artworks. What else?

Oooh yes, opening  February 25th. See you there!!

• MikeGiant.com »

Check out some of the highlights of our conversation in the video clip!

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A while back I was lucky enough to grab some time with graffiti writer and stencil print maker Chris Stain. I have the feeling that I didn't quiet make the best first impression seeing as I was waiting in the bar while he was waiting in the reception area of the hotel lobby on one of several comfy couches. The "reception" area would make sense for an 11:30 am meeting, while the bar would have been suited for an 11:30 pm engagement. Clearly I was still jet lagged and my "it's 5:30 somewhere" mentality was clouding my judgment.

Then of course, I chose The Breslin for lunch. It's a new restaurant in the West 20s and is the sister to the famous Spotted Pig. A good friend of mine just started working as the restaurant's manager and suggested it as a good place for brunch. He warned me to make sure that whoever I was bringing there for lunch wasn't a vegetarian. I pulled out the trust blackberry to shoot him an email, but much to my dismay all the trusty communication features on my Italian phone hadn't sorted themselves out yet and weren't working on American soil. So I thought about it for a minute and figured, "He's a street artist. These guys are hard-core. There's no way he's a vegetarian." Then again, who the hell knows what that’s supposed to mean?

After our half an hour disconnect, we finally manage to sit down just after noon and take a look at the menu. "Well, there is pretty much nothing on the menu that I can eat." My heart sinks. "You're a vegetarian…?" (gulp) How was I supposed to recover from this? "Caesar salad?" We order the caesar and some totally awesome fries to share and get to talking.
Chris hasn't done his own book with us (yet), but Drago is not new to him and by no means is he new to us. His work has recently been featured in RJ Rushmore's exhibition The Thousands in London as well as in the accompanying book we released in Europe in November (which has just recently arrived state-side), The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In. For the book Know Hope wrote a great blurb on Chris so when it comes to explaining him and his work I can't help but quote Know Hope because I couldn't write anything more pertinent or genuine.

"What's very present in Chris's work is the communication of the things relevant to him, from those same things that he sees around him. There's some feeling of responsibility that is very attendant, to portray these troubled situations, often other people's situations - stated, then transformed and bent into some idealist reminiscence. Tainted with nostalgia, it's all taken into account both for the worse, and for the better."

I couldn't have been more impressed with the man who sat across from me at lunch: honest, straightforward, kind, conversational, aware, opinionated, interesting, and interested. His work is marked by a strong social tinge and the diverse style of intercity living, a quality that Chris was familiar with growing up in Baltimore. His personal story acts a steady influence and leads him to gravitate toward blue-collar issues and other social ills. While some remark that his work might be “too political”, Chris notes that although the politics are there and that is how things tend to be defined he leans toward more anarchist tendencies and that it is less related to politics, but rather should be seen on a more humane level.

His work most definitely portrays the basic level of humanity. A quality that is so fundamental that we tend to forget what exactly it means to be human, to feel, and to treat others with an elemental sense of decency. I guess that’s what it’s all about: a tale of social sufferance. So get on board, Winter in America is too long and too cold to go it alone.

• Check out more from Chris Stain »

The Milan Tattoo Convention is one of the most important events in the European tattoo art circuit.  2010 marks its fifteenth anniversary for which two hundred artists will come from all over the world to present their mastery of the pen and variety of style.

The convention is offering its annual chance for the world’s best tattoo artists to demonstrate what it means to be good at what you do. Some of the artists in attendance have shown us that they can breath life into the ink they use and figures they create, but that is no reason to miss out on what they are up to in Milan this weekend.

Beyond the stands, demonstrations, and performances centered on the art of the tattoo, the convention will also host 2010’s Miss Pin-up competition with burlesque shows performed by Voodoo Deluxe and different shows between Californian Carlos Torres and Italian Antonio Proietti.

Drago is proud to announce the participation of Estevan Oriol, author of the newly released LA Woman, together with long time friends and renowned tattoo artists Carlos Torres and Jose Lopez, member of Lowrider Tattoo.

• Milano Tattoo Convention - website »

The first 6 months of 2010 are shaping up to be some of the craziest that street art has ever seen. The two big events (so far) are Jeffrey Deitch’s appointment as the next director of Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in LA and the premiere of Banksy’s film Exit Through The Gift Shop at the Sundance Film Festival. Still to come, of what has been announced, are Shepard Fairey’s solo show at Deitch Projects, the Faile/Bast show and Faile retrospective at Lazarides Gallery in London, Mr. Brainwash’s show in NYC, the Barnstormers show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery, The Carmichael Gallery’s show in NYC, the Turmkunst project in Berlin, talk of another animation from Blu and so much more. While all those events to come are interesting, they are practically minor footnotes compared to January’s two bombshells.

Jeffrey Deitch is the owner of Deitch Projects, a gallery that has played host to the artwork of street artists from Keith Haring and Basquiat to Barry McGee and Swoon. On the one hand, because his new job forces him to close Deitch Projects, a huge hole is left in the New York City art scene, and no one gallery will be able to fill it. On the other, in the coming years, Deitch could bring street art to MOCA. I’d hate to be one of Jeffrey’s artists today, but if they can make it through a potentially rough patch and find new galleries, they are going to be in a great position down the line.

These days you can’t mention Deitch and Deitch projects without mentioning how the gallery is going to close. Shepard Fairey’s solo show, opening May 1^st, will be the last show at Deitch Projects. Already, rumors are circulating about astronomical prices for the canvases compared to his market just a year ago. The show will focus on portraits of cultural and political icons, like his Obama painting. Of course, Obama wasn’t Shepard’s first portrait, just his most successful, but I can’t help but think the show’s theme thing feels a bit more contrived that it should be. On the other hand, the glimpses that Super Touch Art (http://supertouchart.com/2010/02/02/featurein-the-studio-with-shepard-fairey-as-he-prepares-for-deitch-gallerys-closing-show/) has put up are pretty interesting.

But Exit Through The Gift Shop has overshadowed all that news. The plot hasn’t been entirely revealed yet, but what we do know is that Mr. Brainwash (before he was Mr. Brainwash) was making a documentary about street art, but it kind of sucked. After seeing how bad it was, Banksy bought the footage to make his own film, at the same time, Banksy helped set Mr. Brainwash on the path to superstardom. But for me, the best part is that Banksy seems to acknowledge Mr. Brianwash’s lack of talent by billing the film as “the world’s first street art disaster movie.” The film premiered at Sundance, and will get a general release in the UK on March 5^th. If the movie makes it to the states and get a big release there, this could propel Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Shepard Fairey and all the other artists in this film to new heights of fame, and get even more people thinking about street art. So many people who have never cared about art are going to be thinking about street art in a few months thanks to Exit Through The Gift Shop. This could be the next Spellbound.

And that’s really just what we’ve heard about in January, who knows what’s around the corner…

Updates from RJ Rushmore
5 February, 2010

• Vandalog.com »

A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band

- Robert Johnson.

2. Movie

- Lupin III - Il Castello Di Cagliostro' by Hayao Miyazaki.

3. Book/writer

- 'El Eternauta' by Héctor G. Oesterheld.

4. Food

- Lasagna.

5. Artist

- Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

6. Place you’ve been

- Mazunte (Oaxaca, México)

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band

- Laura Pausini.

8. Movie

- No comment.

9. Book/writer

- No comment.

10. Food

- Liver.

11. Artist

- No comment.

12. Place you’ve been

- A corridor of a hospital.

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change

- Budgets.

14. …you would like to remain the same

- Desires.

15. …you would like to try

- Arboreal locomotion.

16. …you would never do again

- No answer.

17. …you would like to do before you die

- 'Around the World in Eighty Days'.

18. … you would like to do right now

- To walk in the woods.

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

- Erika.
 

20. Who’s your hero?

- A human.
 

21. Who’s your antihero?

- A human.
 

22. Who’s your sexual icon?

- Leeloo, aka Milla Jovovich, from 'The Fifth Element' movie.

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

- Keith Haring.

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

- Takashi Murakami.

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

- An artist.

26. What was your first job?

- To help my father during summer.

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

- An airplane with a black nose, flying low over our heads, a dancing room all in wood near, here below our hill.

28. What is your definition of success?

- Be free, whatever.

29. What are your projects for the future?

- To furnish our new studio-home in Lari next weeks. A show in Milano @ LimitedNoArt gallery in March. Some months travelling trough Polinesia with my mate Erika soon.

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

- Not so easy.

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- Who cares.

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

- Around.

33. Where would you like to do your next show?

- New Caledonia.

34. When was the last time you cried?

- Who cares.

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

- Yesterday.

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

- To breathe.

• Book sheet of Fupete - Animal Collective »

Drago is proud to announce the upcoming Nouar and Laura Wachter duo show

 “What a Wonder Food World”, at Dorothy Circus Gallery

From today 5th February to  2nd April 2010

...........................................................................

Here you can read the press release:

Food, with its protean colors, with its changeable and engaging shapes, is the starting point for outlining a marvellous universe, a “WonderFood World”, worthy of having a great role in Art too. “What a WonderFood World” is, in fact, the title of Nouar and Laura Wätcher’s duo show set up by Dorothy Circus Gallery since 5th February 2010.

Nouar is a young Iranian artist, graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 2004. Her work draws largely from American mid-nineteenth century illustration and advertisement art: protean colors, humor and bodies so suitable that you’d like to eat them. Laura Wätcher is another Dorothy Circus Gallery’s discovery, she is only 22 years old and comes from Malaga, Spain. She is a talented, very sharp illustrator, and describes the contemporary world in a striking, critical way.

“Man ist was Mann isst”

Playing on words, the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach, stated an idea destinated to be  rubbed in the history of culture for a long time: “man is what he eats”.

Born in opposition to idealist theories, the saying “We are what we eat” became very popular because it is easily useable in many fields of human existence, thanks to the frequent presence of food or of recalls to food in every aspect of material and spiritual men’s life.

From the “Panem et circenses” for calming the ancient Roman people, to the “Make love with flavor” of a famous commercial ad on Italian TV, through the big blowouts in the movies, food is a metaphor of love, passion, covetousness, overindulgence towards life.

All these aspects, together with the presence of food in every public or private social occasion, and with the close connection to Eros, make food a good mean of interpretation of many phenomenons of life.

36Questions for 36Chambers this time with the faboulous Nick Walker...

Check it out!!

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A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band

The Beastie Boys

 2. Movie

Blade Runner

3. Book/writer

Clive Barker

4. Food

Sunday Roast 

5. Artist

Right now I love what Mac & Retna are doing – I’m also a big fan of Frank Frazetta fantasy art

6. Place you’ve been

New York

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band

Phil Collins

8. Movie

Tideland – put me on a total doomer

9. Book/writer

The pig in a wig

10. Food

Scotch eggs – terrible things!

11. Artist

anyone who paints with their own bodily fluids

12. Place you’ve been

Marrakesh

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change

UK tax laws

14. …you would like to remain the same

Old Victorian swimming pools.

 15. …you would like to try

Handbrake turn  to a skid into a parking space 

16. …you would never do again

Fly economy  long haul.

17. …you would like to do before you die

Remember the good times

18. … you would like to do right now

MUNT amongst the candy floss

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

Marge Simpson

20. Who’s your hero?

I’m not about giving that label  lightly but some of those nurses in the NHS deserve that title for sure

21. Who's your anti hero?

The geezer I buy my curry from

22. Who’s your sexual icon?

It used to be Farrah Fawcett when I was a kid  now it’s Vampirella

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

Bruce Lee

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

Jeff Koons

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

Marine Biologist

26. What was your first job?

Green grocers

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

I was on a  big plane (747) and it was flying really low through a city not far from ground level but the wings never clipped the buildings – well strange –this is a recurring dream

28. What is your definition of success?

Happiness in myself and my work

29. What are your projects for the future?

To produce a new body of work

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

It’s already been done

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Somewhere a lot warmer than the UK

 32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

It generally creeps up on me

33. Where would you like to do your next show?

New York

34. When was the last time you cried?

Watching The Time travelers Wife

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

When my first daughter was born

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

How comfy I am just lying there

• Looking for A Sequence of Events? »

Recently I've been spending a lot of time admiring optical illusions in street art and as well as street art that blends so well into everyday surroundings that you might not even notice it (aka, reality hacks). I've picked out a few of my favorite examples here.

1. Aakash Nihalani. Aakash's tape sculptures are simple but effective. This piece has got to be one of my favorites by him. In an otherwise dull cityscape, Aakash really makes people take a second look at their surroundings.

2. Brad Downey. Brad has done so many great pieces over the years, but it's the ones like this that I love the most. It's like a real-life version of one of those "name 4 things wrong with this picture" games. Geeks, such as myself, like to call these reality hacks. While I'm sure there were a few mothers with small children who did not appreciate the humor, this must have made so many people's day on the tube, if they noticed it at all. Just knowing that there are artists like Brad Downey out there is motivation to keep your eyes peeled at all time and never just like the world float by unappreciated.

3. Sam3. Definitely an unusual piece for Sam3, I love this billboard because it's one of the few things I've ever seen on a billboard that has made me want to keep looking at the billboard. Like Brad's work, at first glance, you might not see it, or realize that it's art. Almost the opposite of Aakash's neon tape sculptures, this is an optical illusion that could fade into the background.

4. Banksy. With all the controversy that has surrounded this piece, the actual meaning seems to have gone unnoticed in favor of examining the ethics of painting over graffiti history. Ignoring Robbo for a second, I think this is one of Banksy's best outdoor artworks. Every time I look at it, I still have that split second reaction where I am fooled into thinking that the wall was grey and Banksy painted the graff himself, but really it's more like a piece from Specter's "ready-made" series. Once again, Banksy proves himself king of the street artists.

5. Mark Jenkins. If Banksy is king of all street artists, Mark Jenkins is the king of street art sculpture. His piece at the Carmichael Gallery's booth in SCOPE Miami fooled me every time I saw it out of the corner of my eye. This recent piece was in London. I wonder how long it lasted before being taken by a fan.

6. Dan Witz. The man has been surprising New Yorkers with his outdoor photorealistic paintings for decades, and it only gets better with time. Intellectually, I know that's a painting, but my subconscious mind just keeps thinking that it's real, or at least a photograph glued to the door. I wouldn't want to discover one of these stumbling through Williamsburgh in the middle of the night. Just too creepy.

7. Geoff Hargadon. Geoff's Cash for Your Warhol and Cash for your Banksy signs are so believable that people actually call that phone number trying to sell their artwork. Does Christies not want to sell any more Warhols in this market or something?

Okay. I admit, optical illusions and reality hacks aren't the same thing, but I hopefully after seeing these pieces together, you don't think I'm too odd for thinking of them in the same general grouping of work. But hey, if you do think that's weird, I'd love to hear from you, so just shoot me an email. Oh, and for more reality hacks, check out these two posts on Vandalog (http://blog.vandalog.com/2009/06/look-closely/) and (http://blog.vandalog.com/2010/01/trustocorp-signs/).

Updates from RJ Rushmore
3 February, 2010

• Vandalog.com »

Estevan Oriol in Rome with two dates:

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30 January 2010

Exhibition and book signing

Mondo Bizzarro Gallery
Via Reggio Emilia, 32
from 18:30 to 21:00

Artists from different continents are found in the name of Eros for the group exhibition “Ultra Erotica”. Excessive, surreal, dark to the limit, the works of Michael Hussar, Zoe Lacchei, Estevan Oriol, Ken-ichi Murata, Roberto Baldazzini, Dorian X, John Santerineross, Atsushi Tani and Makiko Sugawa reveal the positive power of sexuality from outside the ordinary. Each artist use different techniques and languages: in the exhibition you will see oil and acrylic paintings, drawings, mixed media or ink, vintage and hand-colored photography. On the afternoon of 30 January, will be present in the gallery Estevan Oriol, one of the most requested photographers of the Urban and Hip Hop, for the occasion he will sign copies of his newest book, “LA Woman”.

31 January 2010

Cocktail party and book signing

Fashion On Paper /// AltaRoma
Temple of Hadrian
Piazza di Pietra
Sunday 31 January
from 19:00 to 23:00

A meeting place and a fusion of different languages, a yearly exhibition featuring new independent realities in paper and web publishing. Calendar events will include fashion talks, debates and round tables on the most current topics of fashion and fashion events together with installations, artistic and musical performances organized by the magazines. An event of international scope with Rome acting as a centre stage for the most important fashion editors on the international scene.

• Check the tour page »

Here some photos from Milan...

Barcelona mon amour..

Drago in Milan at Wag Shop - via De Amicis, 28

for a book signing and a marvellous cocktail.. then afterparty..

tomorrow photos photos photos...

On SATURDAY 23 January 2010 Drago will be in Barcelona with Estevan Oriol to present his book LA Woman at the Montana Shop and Gallery, a favorite among graffiti writers that doubles as a gallery and store and specializes in street culture. In addition Oriol will attend a conference hosted by FNAC where fans will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the artist.

LA Woman brings a whole new meaning to what it means to be sexy. Oriol’s work has captured the essence of this fresh aesthetic and presents it in a way that has never before been seen in such a strong and articulate creative voice. His distinctive style and clear command of the camera has produced a collection of photographs that has allowed his work to enter the realm of the fine arts.

Be sure to check it out!!!

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2010
 
12.30: CONFERENCE at FNAC/ Plaça Catalunya
FNAC Triangle
Plaça Catalunya 4, 08002
Barcelona

19.00: PRESENTATION LA WOMAN BOOK at MONTANA GALLERY
Montana Gallery
c/ Comerç 6, 08003
Barcelona

In the last 2 days there were some technical difficulties.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 Tomorrow, Thursday 21 January, 2010, Drago will be presenting LA Woman alongside Estevan Oriol and Joker Brand Clothing as an example of pure West Coast style in Berlin at Bread & Butter, the most important trade fair in Europe for the coolest lines of urban and street wear fashions. The fair opens at 10:00 and runs all day until 19:00, but make sure to get there early, like in the past its gonna be packed full of trend setters, fashionistas, models, cool hunters, designers, press pushers, the cool kids, the wannabes, and of course the sickest brands from exhibitors from all over the world. 

Estevan Oriol will be there to sign copies of LA Woman from 13:00 - 15:00. Don't miss it!!!

Airport Berlin-Tempelhof
Platz der Luftbrücke 5
12101 Berlin, Germany

• see more at Joker Brand »

Nicolas Mazet, Ginevra Boralevi, and DRAGO are proud to present:

sic! street independent culture
THE S-STYLE
(a concept from the Drago Trendbureau)

NM Galerie
34 rue de Penthièvre
75008 Paris
Tuesday 19 January, 2010
h. 20:00

Debate and Champagne reception with

Paulo von Vacano - Publisher, DRAGO
Magda Danysz - Gallerist, Galerie Magda Danysz
Anne-Sophie Berbille - Editorial Director, Prestigium
Mauro Grimaldi - European Director, Salvatore Ferragamo
Stefano Oldrati - Pernod-Ricard Europe
Tatyana Frank Rossignol - Editor in Chief, ArtyParade.com
Emmanuel de Brantes - Director, Studio 55 Urban Arts Gallery
Francios d' Humiere - Tagueur
Guillaume Le Goff - Editor in Chief, CLARK Magazine

Photos from the event Back in the Days @ Les Bain Douches - Paris

Estevan Oriol signed many copy of LA Woman, nice people, good music, beautiful performances...

The Estevan Oriol Tour De Fuerza must to go on:

Step 2 - let's fly to Berlin, ready for Bread&Butter.

See you there or, if you can't, see you here, on Dragolab.com

On Tuesday January 19th, 2010 at 17:30, Magda Danysz of the esteemed Galerie Magda Danysz will be living a talk in honor of her new book From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology at the Drouot Montaigne. She will be addressing the history of street art as well as the styles and careers of some of the biggest names and contributors in the movement.

Also present at the event will be famed graffiti artist JonOne who will be available to sign copies of the book. JonOne grew up in Washington Heights, New York and is today a central artistic figure on the streets of Paris and around the world.

SELECTED BY DRAGO !!!!!!!!!!

Please join us in celebrating the release of the first ever street art anthology while listening to art expert Magda Danysz share her thoughts and experiences on her involvement in the movement and her motivations for publishing From Style Writing to Art.

RSVP is mandatory for entrance. RSVP by email to magda@magda-gallery.com

• Are you looking for a copy? »

Drago is proud to present Estevan Oriol and his newest book LA Woman in a European Tour de Fuerza, which will fly the artist in frenetic rhythms from one capital to the next, from interviews to parties, from art fairs and trade shows to gallery exhibitions and fashion events. Estevan Oriol is ready to hit Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Milan, Bologna, and Rome and demonstrate the West Coast aesthetic, one for which his work has been so influential: the sensuality of the women of Los Angeles.

LA Woman brings a whole new meaning to what it means to be sexy. Oriol’s work has captured the essence of this fresh aesthetic and presents it in a way that has never before been seen in such a strong and articulate creative voice. His distinctive style and clear command of the camera has produced a collection of photographs that has allowed his work to enter the realm of the fine arts.

The Drago Crew will begin in Paris where Oriol will be participating in Back In the Days.

The hippest thing since hip-hop, this event of freestyle performances and live graffiti productions represents what it really means to be “old school.”

After Paris the tour will continue on to Berlin for Bread & Butter, the most important trade fair in Europe for those responsible for the coolest lines of urban and street wear fashions. Drago will be presenting LA Woman alongside Oriol and Joker Brand Clothing as an example of pure West Coast style.

From there the group will fly to Barcelona to present Oriol’s book at the Montana Shop and Gallery, a favorite among graffiti writers that doubles as a gallery and store and specializes in street culture. In addition Oriol will attend a conference hosted by FNAC where fans will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the artist.

Again the team will pack its bags and fly over to Milan for a book signing at WAG, Italy’s first street culture concept store and mecca of all things hip-hop.

The tour will then hit Bologna for Arte Fiera, the international contemporary art fair and exhibition before heading for its grand finale in Rome.

Once in the Eternal City, he will be participating in a group show at Mondo Bizzarro titled Ultra Erotica to present his selection of the best photographs from LA Woman. The last night of the tour will be an event called Fashion on Paper, the first independent publishing festival organized by AltaRoma at the Temple of Hadrian. For the occasion of AltaRomaAltaModa Oriol will be available to sign copies of the newly release book amongst other performances, dj sets, video presentations, and fashion talks that are to take place throughout the evening.

• check out more from Estevan Oriol!!! »

Even if his 3 fabulous books were not published in the 36Chambers series, we decided to send the same funny questions to our author Angelo Sindaco, so... Let's have a look!

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A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band

- Too many to mention…

 2. Movie

- 1997 Escape from New York

 3. Book/writer

- Please kill me – Legs Mcneil

 4. Food

- Pizza

 5. Artist

- Richard Prince, Robert Longo

 6. Place you’ve been

- Bari

B. Tell us your worst

 7. Musician/band

- Too many to mention…

 8. Movie

- Too many to mention…

 9. Book/writer

- Any Chuck Palahniuk

 10. Food

- Pork chops, French food

 11. Artist

- Vanessa Beecroft

 12. Place you’ve been

- Paris

C. Tell us one thing..

 13. …you would like to see change

- My bank account

 14. …you would like to remain the same

- My biceps

 15. …you would like to try

- Surf

 16. …you would never do again

- Buy a digital camera

 17. …you would like to do before you die

- Take acid

 18. … you would like to do right now

- Spend time with my daughter

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

- None

 20. Who’s your hero?

- None

 21. Who’s your antihero?

- None

 22. Who’s your sexual icon?

- Maybe Prince, not sure…

 23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

- Jimi Hendrix

 24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

- Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

- What I’m doin now

 26. What was your first job?

- Graphic designer

 27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

- My daughter in trouble

 28. What is your definition of success?

- Being proud of myself

 29. What are your projects for the future?

- Try to stay out of trouble

 30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

- I don’t know

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- Here in Bologna

 32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

- The Street

 33. Where would you like to do your next show?

- In NY

 34. When was the last time you cried?

- I don’t remember but it must be 2 or 3 months ago

 35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

- When I did the military service

 36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

- I HAVE TO E.A.T.!

• Are you looking for Skinstreet?? »

Now that the holidays are over and 2010 is well under way, RJ continues to reflect on the experience of putting together the Thousands exibition and book. This time more so on the bumps in the road that outsiders didn't get to see. Check it out and "break in" to a bit of what happened behind the scenes.

There are only so many ways that I can say The Thousands was an amazing experience. I could write about how cool it was to be interviewed by journalists or be followed around randomly by video cameras, the launch party that Drago threw at LoungeLover, the artists who stopped by, watching Burning Candy paint their mural and all the other awesome things that happened, but after a while I would just sound like that annoying guy on facebook who constantly updates his status with the latest crazy event in his life that makes him look more important than he his. And I don’t want to be that guy. So I thought it would be fun to run through some of the mistakes I made, in no particular order:
 
•      I added three artists to the book just a few days before sending the final draft to Drago.
•      I opted to do all the interior design for the book myself and only had a demo version of InDesign.
•      The paintings arrived early on the first day of set up, and I arrived late.
•      We didn’t have a credit card machine set up to sell books on opening night and there wasn’t a nearby cash machine.
•      As two of the heaviest paintings were being hung, a wire snapped and they fell, breaking their frames.
•      I organized almost all the PR for the show with no experience and few industry contacts.
•      On Thursday evening, I took a nap in the middle of the gallery, while it was open.
•      After numerous drafts, the final flyers still had a grammatical error.
•      We opened the show while Burning Candy and I were still taking down scaffolding for their mural and bringing it inside, probably almost hitting a few people.
•      I had originally asked for 1/3rd less beer than we needed, luckily BrewDog insisted on sending us what ended up being the perfect amount.
•      About 2 weeks before the opening, I got in touch with The Culture Show, a BBC program that usually films things months in advance.
•      On the one night when there were about 50 people in the gallery who wanted to buy one of the 15 or so available paintings, I was the only person working on sales.
•      My dad and I left his fancy-ass camera at the after-party.
•      We let graffiti writers into the bathrooms without first taking away their markers.
•      We built the two pillars for hanging photos on out of MDF and inside my house without first thinking about how we would a. fit them through the front door, or b. lift them.
•      Mighty Mo’s painting got dented, something we only realized 3 hours before the opening.
 
The Thousands may have been the best week of my life, but it sure as hell wasn’t the smoothest.

THE THOUSANDS
Updates from RJ Rushmore
11 January, 2010

• Check out more from RJ on Vandalog »

While in New York for the holidays I scored some time with WK Interact. He was mad at me because not only did I not make it to Ancona for his HUGE mural there, I also didn’t make it over to Paris for his installation at the Fondation Cartier. Although I tried to explain that while it seemed that I was living la dolce vita over here in Italy that was far from the same thing as traveling all over the place in trains and planes to go and look at art, even if it was a part of the job description.  He wasn’t having it, so I had to beg and plead for pictures from his Parisian excursions because, according to him, I really should have taken some myself. And he was probably right. Feeling somewhat like an ass about the whole thing, I still managed to convince him to give me a few images. In addition to what he gave me from the Fondation Cartier installation he was also willing to share with us a couple of his “sexy sluts” from along the streets of Paris, as well as a shot of the large mural he put up on the Rue Oberkampf.

In his work WK Interact creates figures in motion, which serve as a synonym to the haste and frenzied pace of the New Yorker lifestyle. His images are as forceful and energetic as a tornado and just like a force majeure these figures leave a lasting impression on anyone who happens across their paths. The subjects are vigorous and unyielding in their action, yet despite their powerful motion and strength of presence there remains something eerie, an ephemeral quality that is almost ghost-like. WK demonstrates the ability to capture the most pertinent moment of the figures’ gesture and it is that specific aptitude which translates for the viewer what logically is a transient moment into an interminable memory.

The “canvas” for each image is carefully chosen with the intention to optimize the synergy between the location, the artwork, and the passersby. Each figure is life size or larger, not only to interact with its viewers, but to engage the given location, generate a response, and make an impact. These flash moments in time are from the perspective of someone who sees life from 360 degrees at all times and now WK has given his viewers the opportunity to see more, from more angles, even if they can’t slow down.

So what’s next from WK? You will have to stay tuned, but I can say that for all the fans out there you just may have another WK Interact book to look forward to this year. So here’s to 2010! Get ready!

-CC

All photos courtesy of WK Interact

• Check out more about the exhibition »

An exclusive interview with Fame photographer Estevan Oriol Promoting his first Book published by DRAGO, " La Woman " on CNN ' Panorama Mundial en Espanol.

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A.Tell us your favorite

 1. Musician/band

- Digging through jazz and funk..

 2. Movie

- Back to the future

 3. Book/writer

- Bukowski 100%

 4. Food

- Hunger is the best chef

 5. Artist

- Trophime Bigot

 6. Place you’ve been

- My mind recently 

 B. Tell us your worst

 7. Musician/band

- Al those guys that wear wrong outfits in the wrong season

 8. Movie

- Italian high school themes..

 9. Book/writer

- I don’t know

 10. Food

- Liver

 11. Artist

- Those who you can tell that make art

 12. Place you’ve been

Papik: No comment

C. Tell us one thing..

 13. …you would like to see change

- Weather right now

 14. …you would like to remain the same

- The weather

 15. …you would like to try

- Mushrooms

 16. …you would never do again

- Tricks at the end of a skate day

 17. …you would like to do before you die

- This is a stuntman question,, I’m a skateboarder

 18. … you would like to do right now

- Some green

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

- My curator

 20. Who’s your hero?

- All those guys that give you a hand when you really need it

 21. Who’s your antihero?

- Fakeness

 22. Who’s your sexual icon?

- Olive skin  

 23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

- Nikola Tesla

 24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

- Nikola Tesla

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

- Hulk

 26. What was your first job?

- Be a skateboarder

 27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

- Escaping from two guys with a super slow car through wrong way streets

 28. What is your definition of success?

- Personal

 29. What are your projects for the future?

-  Making some ROME desk sculpture,,, maybe ready for Christmas

 30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

- Make things work without make them work, coincidence I guess

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- Skateboarding

 32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

- Strong feelings

 33. Where would you like to do your next show?

- Cheap serial art

 34. When was the last time you cried?

- Few days ago, I was cooking and watching Kramer vs Kramer

 35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

- I don’t think this really happened, but once I’ve felt  in love for a girl that I discovered make a blowjob to a guy when I didn’t even know bout handjobs

 36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

- Milk for my daughter

• Are you looking for Mr. Rossi ?? »

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A. Tell us your favorite

SUBJECT TO CHANGE…

 1. Musician/band

- BABES IN TOYLAND

2. Movie

- ROSEMARY’S BABY

3. Book/writer

- RAYMOND CARVER

4. Food

- APPLE PIES

5. Artist

- SARAH SZE

6. Place you’ve been

- GRENADINES ON A SAILING BOAT

B. Tell us your worst

SUBJECT TO CHANGE…

 7. Musician/band

- KISS REALLY SUCKS 

8. Movie

- BITTERMOON [VERY FUNNY THOUGH!]

9. Book/writer

- DUNNO

10. Food

- TRIPES [YUK!]

11. Artist

- SOULAGES

12. Place you’ve been

- DEHLI

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change

- A CLICHÉ BUT THE WORLD ECONOMY/CLIMATE. ..

14. …you would like to remain the same

- WARM WINTERS

15. …you would like to try

- LSD

16. …you would never do again

- DRINK MALIBU

 17. …you would like to do before you die

- A BALLOON SAFARI IN KENYA

18. … you would like to do right now

- GIVE BIRTH TO MY BABY BOY [SHOULD BE SOON!]

 19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

- KLIMT’S DANAE

20. Who’s your hero? 

- NO HERO

21. Who’s your antihero?

- GILLES DELEUZE

 22. Who’s your sexual icon?

- ELVIS OF COURSE!

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

- TITIEN FOR LESSONS

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

- ALBER ELBAZ

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

- CANCER DOCTOR

26. What was your first job?

- CLERK IN A BOOKSHOP

 27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

- I DREAMT OF MY BABY.

 28. What is your definition of success?

- IT’S THE FEELING YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT YOU’D SET YOURSELF TO DO.

29. What are your projects for the future?

- I’M WORKING ON A BOOK

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

- NO RECIPE FOR THIS.

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- NO IDEA

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

- EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE

33. Where would you like to do your next show?

- ON THE NATION OF ANGELA

34. When was the last time you cried?

- I CRY A LOT THESE DAYS- I’M PREGNANT!

 35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

- ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO!

 36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

- I’M HUNGRY

• Are you looking for Nation of Angela?? »

On the occasion of the publication of the book, From Style Writing to Art, a Street Art Anthology by Magda Danysz, the 18 Gallery organizes a Graffiti and Street art exhibition which get together the masters of the 70s as well as their most important successors and the renovators of street art.

The works of legendary artists as Seen (called the Godfather of Graffiti), Crash or Quik show the historic sources of the street art. From the 70s they sprayed their names on the subways or walls of New York. Today, they are considered as the pioneers of this movement, the “Kings” as they were named back then.

The 80s and 90s generation, embodied by Jonone, West, Miss Van, Space Invader shows diversity in street art. These different ways of expression are the testimony of a real transition from the Style Writing to an artistic manifestation. Among them, Jonone was one of the first ones to choose to express himself on canvas from 1991. Concerning Space Invader, he distances himself with use of the mosaic for instance.

As this exhibition is an illustration to the anthology of graffiti and street art written by Magda Danysz, the gallery features a special room with wall painting done by the artists on the occasion.

A very special project to celebrate a very special art movement.

FROM STYLE WRITING TO ART - STREET ART GROUP SHOW

DEC 24th, 2009 – JAN 21st, 2010

18Gallery - Bund 18 - 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu - Shanghai

• Read more @ 18 Gallery »

Read the interview!!!

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A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band  

- Dinah Washington

 2. Movie               

-  Antonioni's  "Blow-Up"

3. Book/writer       

- Dave Eggers:  A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

4. Food                 

- Babe's Carbonara and Pizza with prosciutto crudo with arugula and parmigiano.

5. Artist                

- Jean Michel Basquiat, Eva Eun-sil han, Julião Sarmento

6. Place you’ve been  

- Colombia

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band 

- Mirko of the Bee Hive - "Love, you Are My Love"

8. Movie              

- "Bambola" with Valeria Marini.

9. Book/writer     

- Every book of the ex Alaska's governor.

10. Food              

- "Fegato a fette trifolato”

11. Artist              

- Gina Lollobrigida as a photographer.

12. Place you’ve been   

- Romolo, a neighborhood in Milan.

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change              

-   this never ending war game

14. …you would like to remain the same      

-  the sunlight over Coney Island and the Super8

15. …you would like to try                         

-  to try the Sue Ellen's haircut  (J. R.’s wife)

16. …you would never do again                   

-   to go to China without a personal translator

17. …you would like to do before you die     

-  to be the personal translator of Viggo Mortensen

18. … you would like to do right now            

-  have a Pancake Party on the roof.        

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?        

- Babe.

20. Who’s your hero?                  

-  Cuffietta

21. Who’s your antihero?            

- many people.

22. Who’s your sexual icon?       

-  John Cassavetes

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?                   

- Marcello Mastroianni and John Lennon.

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?    

- Spike Jonze.

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?                  

-  The paper boy

26. What was your first job?                                             

- Scongelatrice di panini all' olio

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?                                    

- Nightmare: To wake up with Tom Selleck's Mustache.

28. What is your definition of success?                                         

- "burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..." Jack Kerouac.

29. What are your projects for the future?                                    

- I don't even know what I'm gonna do tonight.

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?         

  - Look at me like I was the only hot chick in the world.

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?                       

- Preparing classic Caipirinha in a dreamland beach for any rastaman who got soul.

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?                  

- people

 33. Where would you like to do your next show?                

- in the mystique moon.

34. When was the last time you cried?                                                                           

-  when I said my last goodbye.

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?                            

- never realized yet

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?         

-  an oversize cornetto.

• Are you looking for Let the Kids Play ?? »

Check out Snoop behind the scenes talking about the marvellous book by Estevan Oriol published by DRAGO.

• Read more on Estevan website »

Bin Von talks about... NEWE e NUBAS: il mondo dei Satiri

Quando combatti troppo a lungo i draghi, diventi un drago.  Quando guardi a lungo nell'abisso, l'abisso ti guarda dentro(Nietzche).

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis. “I tempi cambiano, e noi con loro” o, più precisamente, “ I tempi cambiano e anche noi stiamo cambiando all’interno dello stesso processo”.

Quest’Italia faustiana è diventata il lassativo osmotico di un mondo shakespeariano che riflette lo sguardo di Medusa ormai perso nel labirinto kafkiano della geopolitica, in cui si svelano scenari danteschi attraverso leader pirandelliani.

Trasudiamo un nostalgico déjà vu di “fin du siècle/fin du globe” di un Zeitgeist che cerca di azzannare il nodo di Gordon alla proustiana Ricerca del Tempo Perduto. Un bizzarro feeling di “fin du regime” cozza con visioni apocalittiche (sopravissuti a Nostradamus ci imbattiamo nelle nefaste profezie Maya e nella fine datata 2012 (gran bel blockbuster! Consiglio prima fila in dolby surround) e nella guerra civile prevista dal Presidente del Consiglio (sic!);  senza contare il prolasso di ideologie , valori e certezze euro/catto/centriste che vedono la cultura occidentale navigare senza bussola e senza idee. In assenza di un nemico reale si creano mostri immaginari, dimenticando che il virus della metamorfosi ha già cominciato a  espandersi e a contaminare il nostro trantran quotidiano.

Il Limes vacilla. Si crepa il muro delle nostre menti e il terrore dell’ignoto fa sì che ci aggrappiamo a delle realtà conosciute. Il backlash conservatore ha il sapore di un profondo dispiacere per la modernità rimpiange i “good old times”. I pasdaran della politica, i trogloditi della tradizione usano questo vacuum storico per spolpare le costituzioni democratiche e per rivendicare un’inquisizione che punta  alla mera difesa del loro potere , superato e autodistruttivo, festeggiando i loro auto dafés mediatici.

La quiete prima della tempesta. A quando il prossimo attentato? Quale animale scatenerà la prossima influenza? Dove la prossima crisi finanziaria? Che mi metto sta sera? A quando la prossima grande guerra, necessaria poiché, fin dal passato, in caso di problemi interni si cercava sempre una scusa esterna per rimanere uniti? La litania della casta del potere politico, economico, culturale e mediatico, dopo aver fallito miseramente nel costruire libertà, democrazia, speranza… ci rutta che “tutto va bene, bisogna  vedere il bicchiere mezzo pieno, se no si è disturbati… è finita la recessione,  il peggio e passato,  iniziate a comprare, viviamo nel paradiso, la mafia non esiste,  no hay problemas”...

Il muro trema:  dopo la supremazia della razza bianca e degli imperi catto/occidentali i barbari hanno imparato la lezione pop, in cui la copia diventa meglio dell’originale. Il BRIC(Brasile/ Russia/India/China) cresce silenziosamente e gode come una troia di fronte all’impotenza della cultura occidentale; l’Africa  esplode (o implode) davanti alla sua crescita demografica, il Messico, parte del Nafta, è con un piede nella guerra civile.

La storia si ripete. Viviamo nella NEWE(NEUE WELT aka Nuovo Mondo) dove i NUBAS (NU BARBARIANS) detengono il potere.

Una civilizzazione non può guardare nel vacuum senza essere presa da pensieri di morte. Memento mori.

In Italia il premio per la marchetta geniale dell’an(n)o l’ha vinta Rolling Stone, nominando rockstar  dell’an(n)o Silvio Berlusconi, prima del Premio Nobel Obama e del rappresentante di Dio in Terra. Tutto questo include il colpo geniale di commissionare al buon pastore(Shepard Fairey), jedi  della strada e uno fra i massimi rappresentanti dell’unica  avanguardia artistica, il compito di omaggiarlo. Quest’operazione, tanto situazionistica quanto sgarbiana, sancisce la morte del Rock e del Pop. Welcome in the Whatever Era. Papi Satiro Rock?

Roma vittoriosa è sopravissuta per secoli ai barbari, in uno splendore apparente ma la distruzione di Cartagine ha segnato l’inizio della sua fine. Fine in cui, ironia della sorte, il impero romano veniva difeso proprio da barbari.

1989: il muro di Berlino crolla e segna l’inizio della fine dell’impero americano. L’Unione Sovietica, la “Massadoppia “ di Elia Canetti, scompare.

La globalizzazione è alla disperata ricerca di un nuovo nemico: al quaeda, arabi, dittatori,virus, narcos, alieni;  basta che si distolga l’attenzione dal fatto che i governi occidentali sono diventati dei biechi comitati d’affari. La loro realpolitik, all’insegna del dollaro facile e della speculazione, divora Gaia come le iene le carogne.

Obama primo presidente barbaro. La sua vittoria ha rappresentato la speranza della società civile ma  anche la fine della civiltà occidentale.

Bellum omnium contra omnes. Hobbes, nel Leviatano, mostra “ in primo luogo che,  la condizione degli uomini senza la società civile (lo stato di natura) non è altro che una guerra di tutti contro tutti e che, in quella guerra, tutti hanno il diritto su tutto”.

Acta est fabula, plaudite! (letteralmente: la commedia è terminata, applaudite)

“The use of an alias is a process known as “artistic self-designation”. Tags, allowing for a name to be “made” before even proving technical and artistic qualities, bear true originality in that regard. Most writers start with a tag to make a name for themselves, a name they’ve chosen and usually stick to. Whereas artists from other disciplines thrive to acquire technical proficiency and public recognition for their art, writers have other priorities. The artwork is therefore reduced to what makes it most singular: the signature, a representation which then reproduced endlessly, so as to be seen by the highest number of people who become, in turn, the audience.

The choice and the construction of this name follow a specific logic. The name can bear a territorial claim, i.e. the case of TAKI 183, 183 standing for his street (183th street in New York City). It can be a nickname or a title that give the writer a sense of power and entitlement, like SEEN of FUTURA. Names often have, explicitly or not, a sense of irony and insolence. An alias can also use a word out of its initial context or meaning, or be chosen based on its letters, simply for phonetic or esthetic reasons, some letters being more inspiring or more challenging to play with, as in SKKI, TWIST or WEST.

Some play with words as MISS.TIC whose name as a double meaning: the feminine proposition and the phonetic for “mystic”. Whatever the case may be, each name has its true story, unlike birth names. And unlike birth names, no two people may bear the same street name. The rule can eventually (though it rarely is) be bent if a distintive sign is added (usually, a number, like royalty as in JONONE). This singular logic has to do with a name’s strong distinctive value: claiming their name is a writer’s only actual right. Women in the movement have also made their feminity part of the distinction as for LADY PINK or MISS VAN for instance.

Last but not least, this signature symbolically reflects a writer’s identity. Choosing a new name pretty much allows for a new projected persona, and writers virtually start fresh, shedding their civil status and their former identity as for BLADE and QUIK. The actual stake is to keep that name alive daily, in a permanent and recognized way.

In the end, it’s about giving a borrowed name some true artistic recognition. And to do that, there’s a more or less intensive learning curve, a process leading technical and esthetic qualities that will give birth, or not, to a writer’s achievement.”

From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology a book by Magda Danysz published by Drago

• Buy the Book! »

Read the interview !!!

............................................................................................................................................

A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band

-Led Zeppelin

2. Movie

-The great escape

3. Book/writer

-Il sergente della neve / Mario Rigoni Stern

4. Food

- Italian and Japanese

5. Artist

-John Kricfalusi

6. Place you’ve been

-Costa Rica, Tokyo, New York, Paris, Morocco, Portugal, Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Galicia, Sardinia, Amsterdam.

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band

-Lets say the entire soft pop rock genre

8. Movie

-Air force one

9. Book/writer

-I don’t have one

10. Food

-Sweden

11. Artist

-I don’t have one

12. Place you’ve been

- I don’t have one

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change

- Italy

14. …you would like to remain the same

-Forests

15. …you would like to try

- Being in another persons mind

16. …you would never do again

-Nothing

17. …you would like to do before you die

-I don’t know

18. … you would like to do right now

-Surfing

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

-I don’t know

20. Who’s your hero?

-Steve McQueen, Francesco Totti

21. Who’s your antihero?

-Berlusconi

22. Who’s your sexual icon?

-LAMU’, Mine Fujiko, Cutey Honey

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

- I don’t know

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

- I don’t know

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

-Nothing in particular

26. What was your first job?

-Gas station attendant

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

-Being in a house without exits

28. What is your definition of success?

-Recognition

29. What are your projects for the future?

-Building a house on my own

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

-Notting, just having an interesting imperfection

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- Living by the ocean

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

-Trash

33. Where would you like to do your next show?

- Japan

34. When was the last time you cried?

-Yesterday

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

- It still didn’t happen

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

- Coffee

• Are you looking for Dirt don't Hurt ?? »

36 QUESTIONS FOR 36 CHAMBERS with Mike Giant author of Muerte...

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A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band
- Metallica

2. Movie
– Ghost Dog

3. Book/writer
 – “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” by Manley P. Hall

4. Food
– Pizza

5. Artist
– Ed Hardy

6. Place you’ve been
– San Francisco

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band
– David Hasselhoff

8. Movie
– Anything that features gratuitous violence

9. Book/writer
– The Bible

10. Food
- Meat

11. Artist
– I can’t hate on any artist.  Nothing but love

12. Place you’ve been
– San Salvador, El Salvador

C. Tell us one thing...

13. …you would like to see change
– The US prison system

14. …you would like to remain the same
 – Easy access to marijuana

15. …you would like to try
– Group sex

16. …you would never do again
– Own a car

17. …you would like to do before you die
 – Master yoga

18. … you would like to do right now
- Draw
 
19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?  
- Megan Louise Torres

20. Who’s your hero?
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

21. Who’s your antihero?  
- George W. Bush

22. Who’s your sexual icon?
- Manuel Ferrara

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?
- Aubrey Beardsley

24. Whom would you be interested in doing a collaboration with?  
- Charles Burns

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?  
- An architect.

26. What was your first job?
- Cashier at McDonald’s

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?
- I never remember them.

28. What is your definition of success?  
- A healthy body and mind.

29. What are your projects for the future?
- REBEL8 will keep me busy for a LONG time, and I’ll continue to pursue various publishing projects and collaborations.

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?
 - My Buddhist practice has shown me that it is incredibly important to love everyone and everything.  Love is the base energy of life.  It heals and nourishes.  I try to keep my heart open to the love that is always available in the present moment.  For me to “fall in love” with someone simply means that I am allowed to sink into another person who has also opened their heart.  Deep down, we all want to love each other.  It’s a shame that we don’t.

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  
- Right here in San Francisco, drawing and cycling every day.

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?
- I feel like as long as I’ve been alive my senses have been constantly collecting inspirational material.  So a lot of times I’ll just look within.  I settle my mind in meditation and wait for the next image to coalesce.  Simple as that.

33. Where would you like to do your next show?
- I don’t really care to show in galleries anymore.  I’m pretty content just showing my work here in San Francisco.  At this point, doing a show for a gallery is kind of a personal favor.  It’s not something I’m pursuing.  I deal with my tattoo business in much the same way.

34. When was the last time you cried?
- Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #4 brought me to tears yesterday.

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?
- When I lost my virginity.

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?  
- “Damn, what time is it?”

• Book sheet of Mike Giant - Muerte »

36Questions for 36Chambers.. Let's start with TvBoy, for an interview without Weapons..

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A. Tell us your favorite

1. Musician/band:

TVBoy: In this last period i'm listening a lot Devendra Banhart but I also love rap bands as A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, De La Soul, EPMD

2. Movie:  

TVBoy:  A Bronx Tale a very beautiful movie directed by De Niro

3. Book/writer:  

TVBoy: All by Camilleri and Mario Puzo

4. Food:

TVBoy: Everything is Italian!

5. Artist:

TVBoy: Banksy, Murakami and Shepard Farey

6. Place you’ve been:  

TVBoy: La Habana in  Cuba and Copenhagen in Denmark

B. Tell us your worst

7. Musician/band:

TVBoy: Albano e i Pooh

8. Movie:

TVBoy: U.S. comic movies

9. Book/writer:

TVBoy: All books too introspective or complicated

10. Food:

TVBoy: Boiled vegetables

11. Artist:

TVBoy: No one in particular but i never liked abstractism

12. Place you’ve been:

TVBoy: No one in particular maybe one time I've  been in a small country near Huelva between Portugal and Spain

C. Tell us one thing..

13. …you would like to see change:

TVBoy: The italian government

14. …you would like to remain the same:

TVBoy: Having time to dedicate to my projects and paint

15. …you would like to try:

TVBoy: Wake up earlier in the morning

16. …you would never do again:

TVBoy: Working as book designer for a publishing company

17. …you would like to do before you die:

TVBoy: So many things to mention

18. … you would like to do right now:

TVBoy: Finshing to reply these questions ^:* maybe having a snack :-)

19. Who’s your Mona Lisa?

TVBoy: ^:*?? maybe my girl friend

20. Who’s your hero?

TVBoy: Obama

21. Who’s your antihero?

TVBoy: All corrupted politicians

22. Who’s your sexual icon?

TVBoy: Monica Bellucci, Elsa Pataky and Shakira

23. Who would you like to bring back from the dead?

TVBoy: Dali and Warhol to meet them personally

24. Whom would you be interested to do a collaboration with?

TVBoy: Doing the cover for some music band i like

25. What did you want to be when you were a child?

TVBoy: Astronaut first then move director

26. What was your first job?

TVBoy: Selling phones in a department store

27. What was your last dream/nightmare?

TVBoy: Working as farmer for my girlfriend grandfather

28. What is your definition of success?

TVBoy: Doing what you like to and getting money for doing it (and maybe people appreciating your work)

29. What are your projects for the future?

TVBoy: Having bigger exhibitions and pushing more my clothing brand tvboy clothing

30. What would someone have to do for you to fall in love with him/her?

TVBoy: Dunno... i'm engaged with my girlfriend so may be being very nice and attractive and seducing me ^:*

31. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

TVBoy: Still here doing the same things but maybe with one or two sons and hope some money more

32. Where do you look for creative inspiration?

TVBoy: Mostly from travels but also from the streets, shops, libraries and over the internet

33. Where would you like to do your next show?

TVBoy: My next show will be in Milan and then I would like to cross the sea to the united states maybe New York ^:*

34. When was the last time you cried?

TVBoy: When my grandfather died

35. When was the first time you realized you were no longer a child?

TVBoy: Every time i open the letterbox and i find it full of invoices to pay :-(

36. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that comes to mind?

TVBoy: 10 minute more!!

• Are you looking for Start a Revolution without Weapons?? »

Primary Flight in Miami

One of the coolest things about the art happenings in Miami this month was the amount of public projects going on in the Wynwood district. Street art made a serious splash this year and no one can deny that what used to be seen as public menace is now accepted as a serious art form. Primary Flight made its return to the streets and is considered to be the largest multisite street-level mural installation in the world. It was a street art exhibition on an institutional scale with some serious talent. Over 100 artists contributed to exhibition including names like Shepard Fairey, Logan Hicks, D*Face, Ron English, C215, and Jeff Soto.

• Check out more on World's Best Ever »

“Graffiti has found great inspiration in comics, movies, video and television, as well as photography, or album covers even. But beyond any influence, its relationship to Hip Hop is quintessential.

Hip Hop1 is a cultural movement, both artistic and protest-based, born in the early 70s, in the Bronx, New York, at the heart of the ghettos, before spreading at the speed of light around the country, first, and everywhere else, in the early 1980s. Hip Hop’s international expansion is mainly due to the founder of the Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa, and his European tour.

Though Graffiti started before Hip Hop, it is considered one of its four costitutive elements, along with emceeing, djaying, and b-boying. Emceeing represents speech, DJing, music, B-boying performing arts, in this case dance, and Graffiti visual arts. As an ideal concept, all four elements of Hip Hop come together on stage or during an event, which was the case in the movement’s early period. Those are the four means of creative expression that sweep from The Bronx and Brooklyn to the rest of the world.”

From From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology a Magda Danysz book published by Drago

• From Style Writing to Art - An Abstract »

Forward by Mike Snelle, Black Rat Projects (formally, Black Rat Press)

The last five years or so has seen an explosion of artists working in the outdooors, often in an urban environment, and the interest from newspapers, television news, magazines, books and radio has been matched by the public's appetite for this growing phenomenon. Stencils, woodcuts, sculptures stickers, freehand paintings, pasted posters, ceramic tiles and photographs have been put up in cities accross the world. In order that these outdoor, usually unsactioned, artworks could be discussed people have come up with various terms, none of which is entirely satisfactory.Some people favour 'outsider' or 'urban art,' which allows for artists who don't work in the street but whose aesthetic and attitude somehow makes them fit alongside artists who do, but the most widely used term is 'street art.'

Under this definition anyone who creates an artwork and places it on a wall in the street is 'doing' street art. Indeed, this is one of the great things about it, there is no traditional art world esstablishment deciding whether or not an individual's work is worthy of being shown. Anyone who feels they have something to say or share, and who can avoid getting caught, is free to do so. It is truely a democratic form of creative expression.

However there is a flip side to the term 'street art' being so broad. It has led to a somewhat dismissive attitude from museums and curators, traditional galleries, the public, critics and parts of the art media. People talk of liking street art or not liking street art, or of street art not being 'proper art'. But this is a mistake. It makes no more sense to make value judgements about 'street art' than it does about 'museum art'or 'gallery art'. The definitionis so wide it renders such value judgements meaningless. Street art is not a movement or genre like expressionism, minimalist, or pop art. Its only unifying feature is that all of the works included within it are to be found in the streets of towns and cities around the world. Much of the work people put up in the streets is not meant to be significant works of art or important or visionary, and perhaps, like within any creative endeavour, some tries to be and misses the mark. But amongst the wide grouup of people who have chosen to express themselves in the street are some of the most interesting artists working today. What unites these important artists is a refusal to play by the rules, to conform to the establishment, to follow the traditional paths set out by the art world. This refusal to be constrained or dictated to has led to some of the most exciting artworks and projects to be seen in any area of the arts. The freedom to communicate directly with the viewer outside of a traditional curated white cube environment ha not only allowed art to be seen much more as an integrated part of everyday life, but it has also introduced the dialogue between artist and viwer to a far broader audience that ever before.

-Mike Snelle

The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In by RJ Rushmore
Published by Drago

• Check out The Thousands »

The opening of London’s most unusual bookshop took place on 2nd December 2009 at East End gallery Black Rat Projects (formerly The Black Rat Press).
The pop-up antiquarian bookshop is also rumoured to be haunted and is built inside their railway arch gallery.
The bookshop will be filled with an unusual selection of books from major and independent book publishers. A large selection of second hand books and artist made fanzines, films and artwork by Swoon, Burning Candy, Giles Walker, Brian Adam Douglas and Lucas Price will also be on display. Reports have already been received of eerie incidents and strange happenings, with books magically flying off shelves, and lights switching themselves on and off. Halloween may have been and gone but the real ghosts and ghouls work all year round.
The idea of creating the bookshop came when the Black Rat owners slept in the gallery one evening and were woken by the toilet flushing and books falling from the office bookshelves. Thinking they were being burgled, they turned the lights on only to find the gallery empty. Asking around, a local landlord mentioned that the gallery had been used to store the stock of legendary Victorian book dealer F. J. Williams who disappeared in 1903 and is rumoured to haunt various pubs and houses around the East End.
Black Dog Books promises to be one of the year’s most interesting art and book events. Working with support from publishers including the Tate, Thames and Hudson and Drago, the project promises to not only provide a unique experience, but also a great place to do a little alternative Christmas shopping.

• Check out more at Black Rat Press »

URBANPAINTING XMAS SHOW

Pure italian street art with a special taste !!

Two years ago the exhibition Street Art, Sweet Art took place in Milan at PAC. Now this city is  preparing for Urbanpainting Xmas Show.  

A show with great perspectives, presenting 35 artists, old confirmations and new  surprises. Each artist is preparing an original artwork for the exhibition, working in complete freedom of expression, without any constraints of style or theme.

2501, Heron, Asker, BR1, Dem, dildos Society, El Gato Chimney, Black Cat, Ivan, JB Rock,  Knor, Koes, LUCAMALEONTE, Mambo, Mr. Wany, Snow, Orticanoodles, Ozmo, Pao, Peet,  Pho, Ryan Spring Dooley, Sea Sense, Sonda, Sten & Lex, Tawa, Termine, TVBoy, Weik, Zibe, Dome (Germany), M-City (Poland), C215 (France), Conor Harrington (Ireland).

Thirty-one entries from the Italian scene, emerging youngsters and historical names of street art and writing, along with four foreign artists, to bring a little of Europe in Milan. Some of the most active artists in the Italian underground scene, many still working outdoor and confronting themselves in this special occasion with the world of contemporary art. A rich mapping operation, from stencil, to spray and brushes, through experimental materials such as pvc and paper. Curators' choice to let artists produce 'works as great as a wall'. Italian urban  style, selected and brought into play on a defined and some way more controllable surface. Side by side, with respect, everyone to bring his contribution.

Streets are not just a stage, but a dense network of ties and affiliations, a place where you can breathe dirty and true air.

UPXS - UrbanPainting Xmas Show – from 17 to 28 December, 2009

Spazio Concept - Via Forcella, 7 - Milan (MM2 - Porta Genova)

Opening: Thursday, December 17, 2009 – 7 pm

Info and invitations: urbanpainting@ymail.com

Curators: Luigi Mauri and Tatiana Belluzzo

• Check out more @ Urbanpainting »

Post Show thoughts from our valiant curator RJ Rushmore

By now, most of the hype and stress surrounding The Thousands has died down and I’ve had a chance to look back at the experience. Over 1000 people visited The Thousands in just 5 days, and with no print or television coverage, that’s way more than I expected. The book and exhibition got an overwhelmingly positive response, and my personal highlight was when there were people at the opening who I didn’t know. This wasn’t just some affair for friends and family, it really did reach the wider art community. Would I do it again? Yes, but it would probably be an entirely different show with a different purpose, and there aren’t any plans in place just yet.
Right now I’m taking a 1-month holiday of sorts in the states.
To start the trip off, I went to Miami for Art Basel and the satellite events there. The experience has made me realize how mainstream some street art and graffiti has become. Primary Flight and Deitch’s Wynwood Walls projects introduced the city of Miami and the art tourists to over 100 talented artists and writers who pretty much took over the Wynwood district with their murals. Inside Basel, there were a surprising number of galleries showing artwork by street artists, and the Deitch Projects booth was probably 50% street artists. The Artwhino, SCOPE, Aqua and Fountain fairs were full of low-brow, street and urban art and there were projects like BKMIA and Graffiti Gone Global that showcased street art and graffiti (or perhaps my favorite new catchall term for the street/urban/graffiti art genres: urban folk art).
When Shepard Fairey appearances generate amateur paparazzi and 50-something suburban moms are admiring a wall-of-fame or gushing about the brilliance of a certain pair of Brazilian twin artists that they have just discovered, it might be a sign that street art has reached the mainstream. This year’s Basel Miami Week has propelled some street art even further into the mainstream contemporary art stratosphere.
Then again, Keith Haring and Basquiat have been art fair staples for years, Futura has been mainstream ever since The Clash have been mainstream and it’s been years since Barry, Todd James and ESPO managed to spice up the Venice Biennale.
And back at The Thousands, I put Jenny Holzer’s art in the same room with Gaia’s, and had paintings by artists like Tek33 and Adam Neate nearby. Most visitors didn’t even realize that Jenny started out as a street artist, but it was pretty apparent that Tek33 is a writer.
One thing that became very apparent while putting on The Thousands, and which was confirmed in Miami, is that street art will always have one foot in the mainstream and one foot in the underground. There will always be artists like Shepard Fairey to make covers for Rolling Stone, but artists like Know Hope and Mighty Mo will be around too, working outdoors in relative obscurity and on the cutting edge of art. That’s what’s so amazing about street art: there is a constant renewal of talent who are trying to test society’s boundaries and connect with the public. Every time an artist like Kaws “graduates” from working on the street, there are a dozen artists like PosterBoy just starting out, young and wanted by the police for vandalism.

THE THOUSANDS
Updates from RJ Rushmore
15 December, 2009

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"Tagging, the most primitive form of graffiti, consists of a writer’s signature, usually done in permanent marker or spray paint. Artistically, tagging is the root of graffiti, and a skill a writer must become proficient at before becoming an accomplished graffiti artist.

Street art ranges from simple monochrome “tags” (the artist’s “name tag” often represented in an exaggerated cursive style) to elaborate, multi-colored works called “pieces” (derived from the word “masterpiece”) which are considered in some circles to be of museum quality. As graffiti has begun to find its way from its original urban locations to the walls of galleries and museums, the question of vandalism and graffiti as an art form has provoked endless controversy, raising such questions as whether vandalism can be considered art or whether graffiti can be considered graffiti when done legally.

When talking about Street Art, doesn’t the mere use of the word “art” imply a creative part in the process, which has become a discipline?

Street Art has been polished over time. Simple tags and graffiti have imposed themselves with the use and the juxtaposition of various techniques and are more committed than ever.

Creativity expresses itself in a more obvious way through graffiti, largely exceeding tags in terms of the required and necessary competences and artistic qualities. However, let’s keep in mind that tags are hardly dissociated from Graffiti and Street Art. That creativity part of the movement expresses itself through the perfect complexity and curves of the signature.

At the beginning of the Movement in the 60s and the 70s most writers came straight from the ghetto, and dragged the image of unschooled, unruly youngsters, with too much energy, no training, no talent and not much of a future. It’s an interesting cliché. Studying the Hip Hop movement a little more closely than a few prejudiced sociologists did then, you can’t help but acknowledge the huge amount of work that graffiti, dance, music or painting, all part of Hip Hop culture, required. And still do. All those disciplines demand improved technical abilities, constant training, an alert mind, and creative imagination. To say the least.

Writers and Graffiti artists make their own (yes, disputable by some) contribution to the city they are a part of. Self-affirmation, in a society that tends to erase individuality, shows a strong sense of preservation. It’s a peaceful uprising against authority figures that would rather keep everyone anonymous and under control, despite difficult social contexts and basic rights.

Street artists do not simply satisfy themselves with the delivery of their work in the eye of the public, the way a painter, presenting his latest masterpiece, expects amateurs and patrons to acknowledge its value. Out on the street, they impose, or generously offer their art, without necessarily expecting public judgment or recognition. It is an unforeseen and unforeseeable form of art, since it doesn’t emerge from the usual art places. Yet the constant pursuit of improvement in such shapes and messages as they are presented, as well as the respect of visual codes established over the years, whether they be followed or distanced in a creative leap, give Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art their undisputable legitimacy."

from "From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology" a book by Magda Danysz published by Drago.

• »

Il Centro Espositivo Museale San Michele degli Scalzi, Pisa, è sede oggi venerdi 11 dicembre di “OLTRE IL MURO. Come le pratiche artistiche attraversano le strade”.

Il progetto coinvolge curatori, artisti, studiosi e operatori in una discussione sullo spazio della strada come luogo di ibridazione tra culture differenti. Street Art, Urban Culture e arte contemporanea sono i linguaggi migliori per esprimere il concetto di strada e globalizzazione.

Fra i partecipanti il Direttore artistico e Editore della casa editrice e trend bureau Drago Paulo Lucas von Vacano, che interverrà al dibattito esponendo il nuovo concetto di StRaDe (Sistema Re-Evoluzionario Democratico) come primo luogo di trasformazione urbana, culturale e artistica. La StRaDa come luogo di concepimento, di epifania e di espressione.

“Dopo la crisi finanziaria del 2008 - e la relativa implosione (o morte) del Vecchio Sistema – sono iniziate le prime avvisaglie della nascita di un nuovo Mondo. Una Re-Evoluzione Democratica possibile, in cui la Strada e la Periferia si pongono come primi e massimi catalizzatori dei fenomeni e delle tendenze.

Il futuro è scritto nella strada. La strada scrive il futuro.

Il concetto di StRaDe si sviluppa attraverso una visione “dal basso”, che interpreta il potere come strumento per una trasformazione pacifica sia sul piano culturale che su quello artistico.

Dalle StRaDe nasce la Re-Evoluzione di una società civile in agonia che, però, non ha smesso di sognare, né di creare”.

Inoltre l’evento vedrà l’artista egiziano Basim Magdyalle prese con la realizzazione di un progetto specifico per la città di Pisa: egli esporrà un verso poetico negli spazi pubblici, per interrogare il passante sulla natura del credo affettivo e religioso, sulla distanza fra realtà e finzione e sul peso dei messaggi multimediali.

Pure Evil tells us a little bit about the who, what, when, where, and why about the man, the artist, and the gallerist.

DRAGO: Who are you? How do you define yourself and is it different from how you project your public image?

PURE EVIL: I am Pure Evil prince of fricken darkness.. I am also called Charley. I define myself by a key ‘Deus Ex Machina’ moment in my evolotion when I admitted being an artist for the first time and was banned from entering the USA. I told the Customs officer I had been painting with my friends in California which = work when you are an artist, and since I had no work VISA I had to come back to dirty old London. The dirt in London helps things to grow which makes it an amazing place to be creative. I landed, my wheels started spinning and I haven’t stopped.

D: Why street art?

PE: There is no committee there is no curator there is NO ONE telling you what to do, and the canvas is infinite. There are no boundaries, it is all about the freedom to paint, and there is also an amazing euphoric adrenal rush that you get from doing it, that it is a subculture that attracts so many druggy lowlife scumbags.

D: Do you see a difference between your work on the street and the work you do for the traditional art world, aka galleries?

PE: Completely different, like the difference between a moon rock on the moon and a moon rock on a shelf in a museum. The street provides the context for the art, the gallery makes I an artefact, a memory of an event. Its still a lot of fun though, hanging out in a big indoor space making it look amazing, and not having to worry about THE MAN. Instead you have to worry about THE CURATOR. The curator is the enemy.

D: How do your roles as artist and gallerist play off of each other? Do they ever come into conflict? Being an artist seems to be only a part of your involvement in the art world…as a gallerist you promote the work of other artists instead of your own, seems rather altruistic in such a dog eat dog world…

PE: There is a conflict, and its fun to try and fight the battle. The danger is that I only promote myself through my gallery and just use everyone else to make myself look earnest. It is important that I can find the time to do both things justice, and not let the other artists in the gallery down. Obviously I am going to promote myself, but I have met so many artists through painting walls that I know a lot about the culture and I have a good eye for it, and I know how many artists have been burned by galleries and so I am very careful to be fair and help them to grow . If I wasn’t pure evil the artist though I would have been FUCKED in the last year with the recession. I don’t always pick super commercial art to show in the gallery because I can always make rent money through my own work . If I do a show with an artist I really love and in one month only sell one piece because its weird and wonderful art THAT’S COOL BABY. I can just sell a couple of big paintings of my own and rent is covered.

D: Can you elaborate on your responsibility as supporter of the arts? For example you are serving on a panel of judges for a street art competition, how did you get involved in that?

PE: I said yes to that because I was quite flattered that anyone would think my opinion was worth anything, and also because it was a way of raising money for charity. If I can do some art and make 5K for homeless people then I think that’s brilliant. Its something really pure and good, which isn’t something I get to do that often.

D:  Any special project you would like to tell us about? Personal, gallery related, legal, illegal...

PE: I have a music studio in the gallery and I have been collection an arsenal of all of my dream synthesizers, like the Korg MS20 and the Solina Strings keyboard, and I have been recording music every week that goes online the same week as we finish it all. I am going to release a double vinyl box set of some of this soon, and make a print portfolio of a number of 12” x 12” artworks to accompany the music. Here is the link to some of the music : http://pureevil.podbean.com/

D: Do you consider “Street” to be a movement? Drago believes that the “street movement” is the only avant-garde of the moment that the combination of street and the Internet creates a global attitude of civil society. Do you agree or disagree?

PE: I think it is a massively important movement, the mainstream is trying to consume it but I think it will go undergound again to camouflage itself from mainstream culture. The mass will move onto something newer and easier to control . This happened with skateboarding where it ended up on TV channels playing in Sports bars in airports everywhere.

I was reading about the Darknet which is a huge portion of the internet that is almost invisible. Maybe we need to take it to the Dark side for a while.

Heres a question to ponder : Where did all the other subcultures go ?

D: Are the streets united or divided?

PE: Divided into likes and dislikes of people. Some think street art is massive and amazing and some people think it is just poop. That’s fine with me.

D: Who is your Mona Lisa?

PE: Ava Gardner or Monica Bellucci

D: “I had a dream.” Tell us about it.

PE: I was traveling through Egypt on a camel and I found a small papyrus boat, I brought it back to the east end to a science lab I have in my dreamland, and an orange juice that was in the lab began to mysteriously drain itself.. The papyrus boat began to grow and oscillate and I realized that it was a trojan boat device that was activated by orange juice that had been sent from space … everybodys bones started to turn to jelly all over the world and we all turned into blobs. END OF DAYS !!! GAME OVER.

Please pick five of the following topics and write a list of your 5-favorite/top picks so we can learn a little more about the man/artist/gallerist.

1. musicians/bands Amon Duul , Black Moth Super Rainbow, Neu , Can, Television

2. books/authors John Gray , Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

4. people you would like to meet 5 of my kids. I have 12 kids in California because I was a sperm donor, so I’d like to meet 5 of them and see how they are doing.

6. things you would like to see change global warming (less) , genocide (less) , peace (more) love (more) understanding (bit more)

8. things you would like to try kill Mugabe , then do some time travel , kill young Hitler , do some more time travel , give Jesus a high five

9. things you would never do again I have no regrets about anything I have ever done

Heres a mix for you: http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2009/08/21/sound-advice-14-pure-evil/

On Saturday December 12, 2009 Jonathan LeVine Gallery will open And There Was War In Heaven, a solo exhibition of recent works by James Marshall, the artist more commonly known as Dalek. In the artist’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, Marshall continues to build upon the creative departure marked in his 2007 show Desperate, Rejected, and Angry—when he dropped the Dalek moniker to reveal his true name and debuted a new series of paintings rich in color and complex layers, reducing his popular Space Monkey character to its basic underlying geometric components for the first time. On the experience, the artist said: “The show was really cathartic, and I think it helped open up a lot of things for me visually. By not having that iconic centerpiece to build a painting around, all the other elements started happening more naturally… things grew in a different way, which was liberating.”

By fragmenting, abstracting and obscuring the figural component within busy environments that echo the mechanical repetition of industrial mass-production, Marshall’s direction has evolved yet his aesthetic remains cohesive. His canvases consistently feature brightly hued flat colors painted in crisply defined planes of space, forming shapes and optical perspectives clearly separated by impeccably clean, sharp, and precise geometric line-work.

James Marshall (aka Dalek)
And There Was War In Heaven
Solo Exhibition

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th Fl.
New York, NY 10011

December 12th—January 9th, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 12th, 7pm—9pm

• Check out more @ Jonathan LeVine Gallery »

“In most of today’s societies, you will be the target of thousands of successful advertisements on any given day. In most of today’s societies, you will seek your 15 minutes of fame. We grow up and in between daily massive propaganda. The desire to make your mark on this world leads to great innovations in many fields, and particularly in Art. Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art have, like many innovations, been fed and nurtured with those visual codes, appearing as the direct result of post-war advertising.

As children and later as teenagers, citizens (i.e. the people living in cities) from all over the world have been exposed to marketing and advertising. It’s not hard to imagine how a young mind can try to emulate what it sees on television or billboards, particularly in New York from the 50s to the 80s where popular culture and advertising are at their best. Since before the epitome of Pop Art, New York has been considered the most media-saturated city in the world. Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art and advertising operate at a Phenomenological level or dimension, with only one thing in mind: to awaken the viewer’s curiosity. As Shepard Fairey aka OBEY underlines in his Manifesto, “Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation. The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the sticker provoke thought and possible frustration, nevertheless revitalizing the viewer’s perception and attention to detail.”

And since the beginning of the Movement in the late 60s, people from all over New York can see what someone has done in Queens, including people who probably are not interested in this form of art or have never stepped in Queens. The fact that graffiti was practiced on the subway system of New York shouldn’t come as a surprise, indicating that mobility is an element that graffiti writers gravitated towards early in the game.

Your tag, your alter ego, the name by which most people will know you, your very own brand, rather than your birth-given name, takes a life of its own. It becomes something separate, something that, as it grows in the public eye, also gets observed, scrutinized and admired. The ‘fame game’ brings popularity, a sense of self-esteem, friends and recognition from people you don’t even know. As a graffiti writer, you’re driven by the desire to be known and to be respected. In Style Writing someone like SEEN, since the 70s, picked his tag according to his motive: to be seen. Later, in the 90s, someone like OBEY (aka Shepard Fairey) did pursue a specific goal (“visual disobedience” as he calls it himself), and raise awareness with the choice of his street name.

While most admit that these motivations were of the unconscious sort during their early years, the desire to be subversive, to cause an impact, to represent graphically what everyone thinks but doesn’t say out loud, is at the origin of this movement, with the street being the broadest and most powerful platform to gain visibility.

Advertising has played a decisive factor in the formation of Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art in two major ways. Ideologically, it manifests itself in the quest for fame. Competition among a wide variety of writers and artists contending for respect is harsh. Another influence is the visual factor. The letter-based palette of words and tags, with the subsequent advent of postering and stickering, represents the ‘brand’ that is repeated on and on. These are precisely the premises upon which advertising works; products need fame in order to stand out, something we see in the omnipresence of ads. There’s humor to be found in the fact that, today, the tendency has reversed to what we now know of advertising: brands get their inspiration, in large amounts, from the street.

Essentially, one could argue that Style Writing, Graffiti, Street Art and advertising evolve in the same ball game, the only difference being the league they are in. Commercial consumer advertising is propelled by immediate financial profit and mediated by boardrooms and stockholders. It aims at exposing that product in an appealing way, and at doing it in order for the widest possible number of people to become aware of that product. Graffiti is a tool used by individuals with their own agenda, one however that doesn’t include profit as its foremost target. The main agenda of a Graffiti artist is exposure by means of guerrilla tactics.

Today, there is a tendency to differentiate classic hip-hop type (“modern”) graffiti, where people have tags and want to get their tags in as many places as possible, from the later Street Art, where people may have tags, but deploy techniques such as stencils to pass a message somewhat more profound than a simple tag. The process of reawakening one’s awe in their environment has been with us for a long time, but in the context of Street Art, it’s been a practice used slowly but steadily over the years.”

From “From Style Writing to art: a Street Art Anthology” pp. 23-25

• Buy this book !! »

Estevan Oriol and Mr Cartoon of the SA Studios team worked with Snoop Dogg to create the album coverart for the fabulous rapper’s upcoming 10^th album, Malice ‘N Wonderland..

Everyone knows that Snoop enjoys LA Women, but he enjoy LA Woman also, as you can see from the photo...

… and if you’re in California on Friday December 11^th , go to the amazing Suru  shop, check out the homie Estevan Oriol and pick up your Signed copy of LA Woman, Drago publishing of course…

• More at Estevan Oriol website »

"The Street Art phenomenon expansion can be linked to the city’s recent mutations, be it on architectural, or organizational levels. But because the new model has not replaced its predecessor per se, they now coexist: peripheries become interconnected, crossed in their center by complex transit systems, subways, buses, roads, etc. Such architectural illustrations exist all around the world in the 70s, with the intensive construction of massive social housing ensembles. Sure, these new territories represent, initially, new housing possibilities. But soon, they’re seen for what they are: marginalized places with environments that worsen by the day. This networked territory brings people together, goods, services and information in a giant exchange system. Public transportation and the amazing amount of information exchanged on these territories have totally changed the city role and its organization. The omnipresence of advertisement, billboards, street signs, flyers, clothing, etc. leads to a tacit, yet perpetual communication between individuals. Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art are the embodiment of a new urban organization that revolves around a generalized sign exchange system. Writing, from its beginning is a way of exchanging information from one part of the city to another. Come to think of it, the street is defined and ruled as a common physical public space, as opposed to a private space in which one is free to behave as wished. Since the street is a collective space, anyone should act within mutual respect. But because there are rules concocted to protect said spaces, Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art violate a principle. When a street activist applies a tag or paints a fresco, it is perceived as an aggression by some, a simple degradation of common property. That said, many perceive advertising as a similar type of violation, and anti-advertising groups are considered illegitimate activists. Sure, when you come right down to it, Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art could be perceived as inappropriate privatization of public space. Behind any graffiti lies an individual reaffirming their personality with one of the most personal signs ever: a signature.

True to a society of exponential exchanges, Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art travel indeed beyond time and space. Not only do they take over public spaces, they also invade it. From the suburbs and less favored part of the cities, to downtown and historical centers, to monuments, Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art are everywhere.

Limited only by the sizes of walls, Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art’s propagation seems unstoppable. The “no limit” motto1 is often used, and Street artists see a challenge in places with little or no access but with great public visibility (subway stations, trains, high-top buildings, bridges are key locations). In the network city model, the street artist knows how to use the public transportation grid better than anyone. Is there any greater, faster way to be seen? To write your name on a train guarantees you a wider audience than you could dream of. People all over the city, whatever their backgrounds, origins and neighborhoods, will see you. People will know about you. As a Street artist, your audience is potentially infinite. Yet, the general public’s support for Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art is clearly secondary in the artist’s mind. First and foremost, it clearly is about the number of people who will be able to lay eyes on it, or about finding that perfect location for a piece, within its environment. It has to be seen and it should resonate with its surroundings. If Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art seem to be mainly done historically on subways and then on walls, they are also found on billboards, subways, bus stations, doors, store curtains, post boxes, etc. whether private or public, neat or already damaged. It is  a gratuitous act seen by some as a generous way of enhancing spaces we don’t even look at anymore. Artists such as JR even use hills and roofs in African villages, facades of Brazilian favelas. Some Street artists perceive this environment as a spacious and virginal piece, an inspiring blank canvas. Others are quite simply stimulated by the potential risks taken when they indulge in their illegal practice in public spaces. SPACE INVADER for example has even turned his art in to a life-size game. He invades cities with is characters in mosaic tiles, counting points as a video game would.

The street is both a familiar and yet totally open space, filled with unspoiled discoveries. Style Writing, Graffiti and Street Art break down distances and turn the city into a possible continuous territory up for conquest. What’s interesting in this conquest is the game itself, as well as whatever illegal aspects it offers. Infringing a sacred principle (respect of the public common space) makes Street artists a target for law enforcement. Being a target raises adrenaline levels in any regular individual, motivating them to pursue their territorial conquest beyond space and law. Street artists frequently mention adrenaline rush or its equivalent as their first motive. Scores of them admit that without it, they probably would have not started, or pursued an action that, eventually, became a form of art."

From "From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology" by Magda Danysz in collaboration with Marie Noelle Dana

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Mondo Bizzarro Gallery will host, for the second time, the work of Ray Caesar in Rome from Saturday, December 5^th 2009 – Monday, January 28, 2010.

Mondo Bizzarro is proud to present one of the most comprehensive views on the artist’s work. The show, curated by Gloria Bazzocchi and Alessandro Papa, is a selection of the most influential pieces of Ray Caesar’s work and creates a complete overview on the evolution of his style and his technique.

Ray Caesar chose Sogni di Cristallo (Crystal Dreams) as the title for his solo show: an Italian title for an Italian exhibition.The show consists of eighteen paintings, some of which are considerably large (nearly two meters high) and hislong-awaited “Ecstasy” was finished just a few days ago and will bepresented to the public for the first time at Mondo Bizzarro this weekend.

“The production of these pictures foresees such complexity in its 3-dimensional construction that potentially they could be animated (in motion). What we see,”continues Luisa, the Director of the gallery,“is a small part of the whole image that was created by the artist to be seen, potentially, from all points of view, by a particular refinement and a multitude of detail that has never been seen before.”

But technique is not enough. In Ray Caesar’s work there is more to see. The viewer is able to enter into the world that Ray Caesar has created and is inevitably left enchanted. A heart skip and a jump into another dimension where appearances are deceiving and if you look a little harder, what you see is in fact quite the opposite of what it is.

A romantic country scene suddenly becomes full of insects; a smile turns from innocent to malicious; jam turns to blood and then becomes jam again…

Don’t try to satisfy yourself with the images on your LCD screen because the effect doesn’t come close.

For real, Drago swears, this is something deeply different.

Join us in Ray Caesar’s Crystal Dreams, Saturday, 5^th December at Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, via Reggio Emilia 32, Rome, 6:00pm.

You will not regret it.

• More @ Mondo Bizzarro »

Sweet Toof and Burning Candy at the Village Underground
The Drago team had the opportunity to grab 3 minutes of Sweet Toof’s time to ask him a little bit about the Burning Candy Crew, about who his is, how and when he got started, and what projects are in the pipelines for the London based collective.  Perhaps a trip to New York? Check out the video…

How Do You Get Started?

"As the key website Art Crimes states: “The first thing you need to do is choose a tag, or a name which you will be known by in the graffiti community. DO NOT TAKE THIS LIGHTLY; if you choose something stupid it will come back to haunt you.” Stupid” things include choosing initials, nicknames, names already in use, famous people, corny or trite words, and words that are just plain dumb. A tag is usually 3 to 7 characters but can be shorter or longer if really deemed necessary. Those with a tag greater than 4 letters will often find it necessary to develop a “shortened” version of the tag for time and space-sensitive places.”

 The book Subway Art book adds that “style is a very concrete idea among writers. It is form, the shapes of the letters, and how they connect. There are various categories of style, ranging from the old, simple Bubble Letters… to highly evolved and complex Wild Style, an energetic interlocking construction of letters with arrows and other forms that signify movement and direction.” As you choose a tag you then have to develop a style that sticks out. Yet style does not come easy. One has to relentlessly train and be committed to the pursuit of something special, different from the others and perfectly achieved.

 “Each tag without style can be thought of as a writer without true devotion and commitment for the art. It represents a writer who wants the fame, glory, and recognition without sacrificing the many hours necessary to obtain the skills required for style. Becoming adept in translating emotions into rapid and smooth lines is a never-ending process that in essence is the key to all graffiti” adds Art Crimes.

And as Subway Art explains, “Graffiti is a public performance” seen by everybody, all day long, in the street. Every passer-by will judge the piece. Hence the writing on the wall has to be perfect. If not, another writer can come and catch up on the good ideas to improve and master them. How do you improve your style? Before even going outside one has to learn from the elder. Learning is done in private, as any training should be, by drawing in your sketchbook, redoing your piece again and again on paper. ‘Art Crimes’ advice is to “start learning in private with someone you admire. Try going down to derelict train lots with someone who has been writing for a few years, and hit the place up. Have the writer point out what he or she does or does not like about your style, and have the writer suggest ways to improve it. (...) Remember, everyone in the graffiti community was a toy (inexperienced writer) once, and anyone who says they weren’t lies through their teeth. The writing community, like most communities, is one that places elders (those with many years of experience) first.”

Style is acquired through constant training. At first, letters do not come out as hoped. You have to start with simple letters, train until the outline is mastered. Patience is key. The train and the wall are not going anywhere. It is no use wasting paint and energy doing pieces outside right away. Only when the letters are smooth and the outlines not shaky can you play with fill-ins and cap sizes. Per Art Crimes, “If you can, try to acquire some caps (nozzles) which either spray a really fat line (reducing the amount of paint that can drip) or release the paint at a slower rate.”

When spray paint is mastered and the basics acquired, you can start. As the hand is now more certain, lines are frank and executed in a decided stable way, you can experiment more complex shapes, forms and ornaments. Experimentation is key, yet to much style can kill the style. One thing writers are aware off is the need for transmission: in the streets a writer learns from a writer. Yet, Art Crimes warns “It is important to keep in mind that while learning others’ style is a great learning tool, stealing their letter style (biting), is perhaps one of the worst offenses a writer can be charged with.” and concludes “above all, don’t be afraid to be criticized. So, for all you real writers out there who will be around to pass the torch on to the next generation, keep practicing, and don’t get caught.”"

From "From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology" by Magda Danysz in collaboration with Marie Noelle Dana

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Carmichael Gallery invites you to attend Dark Doings, a solo exhibition of new works by Dan Witz. This is the Brooklyn based artist’s first US west coast solo exhibition. And you only have 1 more day to see it.
The hauntingly beautiful show will be closing on Thursday, December 3rd. Dark Doings, has been a showcase of pieces from his expansive summer street project of the same name. Created both for the street and gallery, the subtle, lingering images of human and animal faces trapped behind dirty glass windows are inspired by a recent visit earlier in the year to the red light district of Amsterdam.

“It was Dan Witz who first showed us how powerful street art could be. Each summer, Dan's projects take street art to new levels by adding elements of "surprise and delight" into the city landscape. For us, Dan Witz is the consummate street artist. He's provocative. He's dedicated. And most of all – He has absolutely wicked skills.”
- Marc and Sara Schiller (Wooster Collective)

 “Dan Witz is a true pioneer of the street art movement. What makes Dan so special is his true passion and love for street art. As many artists on the streets have come and gone over the years, Dan has remained true to the craft and has kept his work alive on the streets since he began over 3 decades ago. I don’t know any other street artists that have been at it that long.”
- FAILE

• Check out more @ Carmichael Gallery »

December is upon us again and for all us art lovers, what does that mean? Bienvenidos a Miami…

From December 2nd to the 6th, 2009 there will be eighteen (yes, 18)  art fairs hitting Miami and among them are our ol’ favorites, Miami Art Basel, Scope, Aqua, Pulse, Nada, Art Miami, Sculpt, and Red Dot.

A couple of thing we would advise our readers not to miss would be the outdoor mural project produced by Deitch Projects and Goldman Properties which has commissioned 15 influential artists from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States to create murals on the warehouse walls of Miami’s Wynwood Art District (between 2nd and 5th Avenues and NW 22nd and 28th Streets). Some of the artists working on the murals will be Aiko (Japan), Os Gemeos, Nunca (Brasil) , Stelios Faitakis (Greece), Jim Drain, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Barry McGee, and Swoon(The United States). In addition, there are indoor projects that can be seen at 2550 NW 2nd Avenue, which will include the works of photographer Martha Cooper.

Thursday December 3rd from 4 – 4:30 Shepard Fairey will be giving an artist talk with independent curator Pedro H. Alonzo in the Central Area of the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Also, on December 3rd,  Lance Armstrong and Nike's STAGES will launch in Miami at O.H.W.O.W. (888 Biscayne Blvd.) after its tremendous success in New York with Deitch Projects and in Paris at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin. Although the opening party is invitation only, it opens to the public for the 4, 5, and 6th.  Artists in the exhibition include Shepard Fairey, Futura, KAWS, The Clayton Brothers, Os Gemeos, José Parlà, and Erik Parker.

The group show, ‘Blueprint For Space’ - Primary Flight is taking place at the Art Center South Florida Gallery (800 Lincoln Road at Meridian Ave in Miami Beach) featuring works from C215, Bask, Jim Darling, D*Face, Meggs, Michael De Feo, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, El Mac, Logan Hicks, Santiago Rubino, Jeff Soto, Retna, Reyes, Revok, Tes One, Zevs, and many more.

Hop on over to scope to check out the Carmichael Gallery with works from Boxi, Hush, Mark Jenkins, Nunca, Simon Birch, and Sixeart.
Likewise at Scope, New York galleries Jonathan Levine will be presenting Camille Rose Garcia and Scott Musgrove and Joshua Liner with works from Kris Kuksi, Evan Hecox, Shawn Barber, and Travis Louie, and from Berlin, the Wilde Gallery will be there with EVOL and PISA73.

Although not totally involved in the art fair phenomenon, Francesco LoCastro’s exhibition 305//Neon Life will be in its last days at the Kidrobot Miami Art Gallery on 638 Collins Avenue and should not be ignored just because its not in a booth. However, if you do want to hit up some of LoCastro’s work, but can’t make it out of the maze of art fairs, you can find more of his work with Bold Hype Gallery at the Aqua Art Miami Fair (42 NE 25th Street, booth #18) along with other pop-surrealists like LOLA, Nathan Spoor, Chinamike and Andy Council, Adam Alaniz, and DOLLA.

While you’re over at Aqua, make sure to check out White Walls and Shooting Gallery who have some cool stuff from Aaron Nagel, Greg Gossel, Jesse Hazelip, and Kevin Cyr. Also don’t forget the Harold Golen Gallery with work from Mark Ryden, Pooch, Chris Dean, and Skot Olsen.

And once you are all art-ed out…grab a towel, order a mojito, and join us on the beach.

Street Art and Urban Art are the most commonly used labels for the contemporary movement originated from writing, also often called Graffiti. Yet the term “Street Art” tends to actually incorporate more forms, techniques and forms of expression than the original words used to.

Vague enough to be understood by the outsiders, Street Art is a term that gives credit to the artistic flow that emerged from the streets. Some artists agree now that this term is the one used by the outside and the art worlds, as a means to acknowledge and learn about the movement. Yet, for the artists at least, it’s often seen as too wide to encompass the reality of what the Movement is. For a whole generation, growing up in the city meant owning the place. Yet it owns you as much as you own it.

The term “Street Art” covers, today, numerous forms of art carried out in the street or in public spaces, and includes various methods such as graffiti, stencils, stickers, posters, lighting installations, mosaics, etc.

Forms and techniques have grown beyond writing and spray paint. And the environment is the key factor to everything we’ve just mentioned: it’s all about the street.

The street as a territory: a territory where you live, advertise, express yourself.

The street as a challenge: a challenge that generates inspiration, adrenaline and fame.

The street as a medium: the street and its details become an infinite canvas.

The street as a spectator: from your own crowd to the anonymous spectator, everyone can see you.

The street as a constant evolution: a never-ending flow where art evolves, disappears and reappears.

Graffiti and Street Art are a specific reality, in time and in space. As far as I’m concerned, I admit that I avoid referring to Graffiti or to Street Art. I simply refer to ART, and so do many of the artists.

“Our works have always hung alongside Warhol; Basquiat; Holzer; Kruger; DiRosa; Combas etc. around the world, in the USA, and throughout Europe especially in Germany and Holland. Now with this media trendy-frenzy our work is lumped with all the newbies, and just wrongly labeled as the same thing for the sake of auctioneers and such ilk.” QUIK

And as French stencil artist MISS.TIC sums it up in a very poetic and subtle way.

“ j’enfile

l’art mur

pour bombarder

des mots coeurs” MISS.TIC

“I slip on [litteraly to do a lot]

wall art [phonetic for “armor” in French]

to bomb

heart words” [phonetic for “those who mock” in French]

 “I slip on

the armor

to bomb

those who mock”

• Magda Danysz - From Style Writing to Art »

Jeremy Fish brings the world more amazing art with his new installation Weathering the Storm. The exhibit opened to the public Sunday November 8th till the 17th of January at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, California. Weathering the Storm is a timely exhibition curated by Grace Kook-Anderson.

Fish's iconography consists of a fairy tale world inhabited by beavers, skulls, and birds which he has developed in part as a response to the influence that popular culture, cartooning, and literature like the Brothers Grimm, has had on him.

Laguna art Museum will feature a new installation by San Francisco-based artist and Element Advocate Jeremy Fish from the 8th of November till the 17th of January. This will be the first museum exhibition for Jeremy Fish. He will use Laguna Art Museum’s upstairs galleries to create an installation with symbols and characters that he has been developing over the last ten years.

Weathering the Storm is a timely exhibition that is largely about transformation and rebirth through struggle. Deliberately drawing from our own current economic and political events and its impact on us socially and emotionally, Fish’s characters will reveal a narrative of evolution through struggle to obtain a more magnificent and resilient place. In this exhibition, Fish will create paintings with hand carved wood frames, three-dimensional figures for the gallery wall installation and sculptures.

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What happened at the Village Underground?!

Last week the venue known as the Village Underground was taken over by The Thousands.

The Thousands was born from the idea that there are thousands of anonymous and semi-anonymous people working outside the confines of the institutional art world to create the only avant-garde movement of our time.

It is based in the strength of the youth demographic and demonstrates a generation that not only thinks outside the box, but also colors outside the lines while still maintaining a mastery of design and drawing.

The exhibition, curated by RJ Rushmore, age 18, shone a bright light on a selection of artists that were hand picked to represent the best of the aforementioned “thousands.”

It was RJ’s intention to bring the work of these artists off the street and onto the walls, ironically to give the movement a little more “street cred” with respect to earning a place in museums like The Tate Modern or the Moma.

The big brick walls and lofty ceilings served as the perfect space to make the transition from street to show. Steering clear of the sterility of a traditional white-walls gallery atmosphere allowed the works to maintain their unpolished edges feeling while the exceptional lighting illuminated each work as an individual masterpiece.

80% of the works in the show came from private collections and this five-day exhibition was a one-off, one-time chance to see works that normally remain under lock and key in the homes of elite urban art lovers.

RJ pulled it off. The opening was packed, apart from the photos here’s another measure of perspective: 600 bottles of Brew Dog demolished in under three hours. The evening was frequented by friends, art lovers, collectors, journalists, gallerists, and of course artists. We got to meet Know Hope, Pure Evil, Elbowtoe, Herakut, and members of the Burning Candy Crew like Tek33, Sweet Toof, GLDPEG, and Rowdy.

For those of you who missed this five-day phenomenon, you will be happy to know that we took plenty of pictures and video footage so that you can live vicariously through us…Or…you can pick up a copy of the accompanying book and check it out yourself…and then kick yourself for missing it. Twice.

• Read more @ Vandalog »

Joshua Liner Gallery is pleased to present Beast Anthology, an exhibition of new mixed-media works by the Kansas artist Kris Kuksi.This is Kuksi’s second solo show with the gallery.

A scavenger of pop-cultural castoffs, Kuksi combines mass-produced“junk”—toy soldiers, plastic skulls, knick-knack figurines, and mechanical bits—into rococo tableaux. His intricate assemblages of small parts and large figures resolve into highly aestheticized totems with an air of neoclassicism. But unlike the idealistic fantasies depicted in art of the Belle Époque, Kuksi exposes the dark, crass, even mercenary underbelly of civilization.

The sculptural assemblages of Beast Anthology play broad riffs on a variety of morality themes. In The Temptation of St.Anthony, for example, the patron saint of lost and stolen articles is shown in a state of existential angst. Arrayed around this central figure are lost causes of every sort, from war-weary soldiers, to lost dogs and cows destined for the slaughterhouse, to detritus of obsolete technology. St. Anthony forms the towering pinnacle of this triangular composition; unable to intercede, he casts his doubt over the entire votive like the burnished pall of the work’s bronze-colored patina.

Drago is proud to announce this amazing event.

• Read more @ Joshua Liner Gallery »

The Tim Burton retrospective opens Sunday, November 22 and continues through April 26, 2010.

The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street. New York, NY. (212) 708-9400.

This major career retrospective on Tim Burton (American, b. 1958), consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, considers Burton's career as a director, producer, writer, and concept artist for live-action and animated films, along with his work as a fiction writer, photographer and illustrator. Following the current of his visual imagination from early childhood drawings through his mature work, the exhibition presents artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlights a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, his earliest non-professional films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist for non-film projects. The opposing themes of adolescence and adulthood, and the elements of sentiment, cynicism, and humor inform his work in a variety of mediums—drawings, paintings, storyboards, digital and moving-image formats, puppets and maquettes, props, costumes, ephemera, sketchbooks, and cartoons. Taking inspiration from sources in pop culture, Burton has reinvented Hollywood genre filmmaking as a spiritual experience, influencing a generation of young artists working in film, video, and graphics.

Tim Burton MoMa Spot:

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Another brick in the Wall at Mondo Pop.

Roma festeggia ancora i vent’anni della caduta del muro di Berlino alla galleria Mondo Pop, in via dei Greci 30, venerdi 20 novembre alle 19, a cura di David Vecchiato e Serena Melandri.

16 artisti sono stati invitati a partecipare. 16 idee e 16 stili creeranno un muro fittizio, costituito da mattoni virtuali, parallelepipedi di legno trattati e quindi dipinti nelle tecniche scelte dagli artisti. Sten e Lex, JB Rock e Diamond, Hogre e Bol23 sono solo alcuni dei nomi della collettiva.

Provocatori o nostalgici, decorativi o di denuncia, irriverenti o riflessivi?

Cosa faranno mai questi artisti con il loro mattoncino? Cosa verrà fuori? Drago non vede l’ora di scoprirlo. Ci si vede al vernissage..

• Check out more @ Mondo Pop »

from Oct 24 to Nov 21 2009

With Seen, Crash, Quik, Futura, Jonone, Blek Le Rat, Obey, Miss Van, West, Space invader, Zevs..

On the occasion of the publication of the book, From Style Writing to Art, a Street Art anthology, the gallery organizes a Graffiti and Street art exhibition which get together the masters of the 70s as well as their most important successors and the renovators of street art. An event which is in line with the commitment taken by Magda Danysz, for already more than 10 years in support of Graffiti and Street Art.

Proud to fight for the recognition of Graffiti and Street Art as a major artistic movement, Magda Danysz publishes for Drago this fall an anthology about the History of this key artistic movement.

The works of Seen, Crash, Quik show the historic sources of the street art. From the 70s they sprayed their names on the subways or walls of New York. Today, they are considered as the pioneers of this movement, the “Kings” as they were named back then. The 80s and 90s generation, embodied by Jonone, West, Miss Van, Space Invader shows diversity in street art. These different ways of expression are the testimony of a real transition from the Style Writing to an artistic manifestation. Among them, Jonone was one of the first ones to choose to express himself on canvas from 1991. Concerning Space Invader, he distances himself with use of the mosaic for instance.

A very special project to celebrate a very special art movement : Publication of the first critical book about Street Art. About 400 pages explain and go into details the artistic aspect of this movement. "In the beginning, there was a the tag and the inscriptions on walls. It gave birth to the wild writing and to the graffiti. What was transformed into what we know now under the name of Urban Art or Street Art. A complex and interesting movement which deserves much more than of simple shortcuts.

From Style Writing to Art, a Street Art anthology, aims at explaining how Street Art became an major artistic movement at the turn of the 21th century. This book is interested in the pioneers of the graffiti who became famous from the 60s, the it explores the success of the artists of the 80s, and finally it looks into the new questions and practices of the 90s.

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1960 - CORNBREAD RULES !!

CORNBREAD is the first 'bomber', the earlier example of a person going out on the streets with no other purpose than to write his name on everything.

We acknowledge that graffiti, defined as public and unsolicited marking, has been around forever. Art in the form of graffiti, on the other hand, originated in the 50s and the 60s when CORNBREAD (aka Darryl A. McCray), from Philadelphia took the scene over with his buddies KOOL EARL and TOP CAT. The three of them contributed to make Graffiti what it is today and helped define the role of the modern day Graffiti writer. One major part of that role was achieving fame.

For CORNBREAD, it all began as a way to get attention from that one special girl he wanted to impress. His first few tags soon turned into a full time mission, 'getting up' (painting his tag) in so many places that he gave himself a crown. The press chronicled CORNBREAD's exploit with pride and each party soon fed off the other, to the point where some journalists started exchanging, in their columns, their ideas of potential challenges for CORNBREAD, hoping to strike his imagination. One of them, for example, wrote about how amazing coud be to tag the Jackson Five jet as it landed in Philly. CORNBREAD was to happy to oblige, and the press covered it extensively. By the late 60s, a sub-culture had ignited in Philadelphia, with his own distinct style: long letters with platform at the bottom. For some strange reasons, when it comes to New York years later, it became the "Broadway Elegant" style. That said, tho one thing missing from the Philadelphia movement was the subway.

McCray accomplished fame by spray his tag - CORNBREAD, with a swoosh at the end and a crown over the B - along every bus and trolley in the city. In one of his most memorable attempts, he managed to spry it on the flank of an elephant at the zoo.

From "From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology" by Magda Danysz in collaboratgion with Marie Noelle Dana

• Read more on the Drago's Street Art Bible !! »

Andrea Caputo, supported by CARHARTT, is proud to announce the forthcoming release of

ALL CITY WRITERS, a book published by KITCHEN93. The presentation will be on 7th November 2009, at LAMBRETTO ART PROJECT, via Cletto Arrighi, 19 - Milan, Italy

The books describes a vast research on the Writing movement, focusing particularly on the process of its exportation from New York to all of Europe during the 80s.

1.230 pictures, 620 articles and more than 250 writers involved who contributed their own stories to the project All City Writers is a heavy-weight of graffiti literature – and that not just in terms of the actual size and weight of the book.

Through historic and detailed documentation deriving from a singular urban episode, the New York City Subway, All City Writers wants to investigate the evolution and the consequences of a countercultural phenomenon, which in the last decades has provoked a change in the rules of aesthetics and communication in modern day society.

APOCALYPSE WOW!

APOCALITTICI, POP SURREALISTI, CREATORI DI MONDI SENZA FRONTIERE

A new Street Style collective of Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop and Urban Art.

Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, Camille Rose Garcia, Jeremy Fish, Microbo & Bo will populate the Macro Future with more than 20 other artists from the 7th November 2009 to 31th January 2010.

Apocalypse Wow, the sententiment is in the title. We at Drago are sure that when you see the exhibition you won't be able to hold back.. WOW!

80 fabulous pieces that explain to the public that time are changing, that art always comes first, and it's able to explain that globalization is not only an economic matter.

Come and see !!

• Check out more @ Macro Future »

WK Interact’s new show “How To Blow Yourself Up” addresses the unspoken fear that lurks in New Yorker's daily lives; Homeland's terror alert levels for NYC Mass Transit, the smell of acrid smoke in the subway, the installation of thousands of cameras all over Manhattan, and “entertainment” like “2012″, a disaster film based on end-of-time prophecies of ancient religions in which the world suffers cataclysmically.

In character with his oeuvre, WK captures the nonstop motion - both physical and psychic - of urbanism. In the past, he has used that kinetic graphic style to convey explosiveness, but in How to Blow Yourself Up he creates installations that burst with dimension and color. The glowing shades in his palette, however, are clearly not intended to brighten or beautify but to alert and alarm, grabbing attention the way a safety hazard sign would.

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 7th / 8-11PM
November 7th - December 5th

Subliminal Projects
1331 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Mondo Bizzarro Gallery è lieta di presentare Sogni di Cristallo, la seconda Personale di Ray Ceasar.

Artista canadese di fama internazionale, Ray Ceasar è conosciuto per le sue dame algide, misteriose, per le sue atmosfere perturbanti e piene di mistero. Le sue opere raccontano di un mondo segreto, senza tempo, imperscrutabile, popolato da personaggi ambigui e irraggiungibili.

Definito il maestro del “manierismo tecnologico”, Ray Ceasar realizza veri e propri “quadri digitali”, stampati su carte fotografiche o su altre carte di pregio, e caratterizzati da una composizione complessa e da un particolare uso della luce, volto a sottolineare espressioni, pose e movimenti, il tutto orientao a creare un’atmosfera onirica e surreale.

Dal 5 dicembre 2009 al 28 gennaio 2010 potrete ammirare una vasta rassegna delle opere di Ray Ceasari a Roma, in via Reggio Emilia 32, alla Mondo Bizzarro Gallery. Opere recenti, alcune ancora inedite e in grande formato, insieme a una selezione di rarissimi pezzi realizzati fra il 2003 e il 2008.

Drago non mancherà per nulla al mondo. Voi? Ci vediamo lì…

• Check out more @ Mondo Bizzarro »

With November 18th fast upon us, we have another update from RJ for the Thousands.

Only about two weeks now until The Thousands opens on November 18th and The Thousands: Breaking Outside, Painting In is officially on sale. Right now I’m working 15-hour days to get the word out and make sure everything is ready in time. I love it. For one thing, it means I have plenty of time to listen to music.

A few weeks ago I was worried because my only potential beer sponsor decided not to sponsor The Thousands. I was going to have to buy cheap beer and put up a donation cup or something at the opening to help recoup my beer costs. Nobody wants that. So, with no expectations whatsoever, I emailed one more brewery: BrewDog. They are awesome, because on Sunday night I heard back from them, a few emails later, we had a deal. The Thousands has a beer sponsor. So that’s pretty much been the highlight of my week.

Somebody asked me the other day how things were going. They thought that things had probably slowed down for me. As I said though, that’s definitely not been the case. While the big picture items have been sorted, now it’s down to negotiating transport costs, bugging artists until they mail their artwork, finding a place to rent tables and a display case… the boring stuff. But it’s still been crazy fun, because I know that all these small things are essential to putting on a fantastic exhibition.

One thing I’ve been working on is press. While I’ve been struggling finding print journalists to talk to, the online media has been all over The Thousands. Next week there will be a series of posts and interviews on the405.com with me as well as some artists from The Thousands like Nick Walker.

I’ve been realizing more and more and more and even more these past few weeks is the importance of a fantastic support team. Of course, friends in the art world and everybody at Drago has been helpful and their support has been invaluable, but in the last few days, even my mother has gotten really into The Thousands. She doesn’t even like street art. Even though I’m the public face of The Thousands and I’m doing a lot of work on it, I’ve also got friends and family to help me and make sure I don’t mess up everything.

Even this close to the opening, artwork is changing a bit here and there. Sweet Toof just confirmed his piece this week and Roa is still finishing his painting. One potential late edition is a series of photographs by two of London’s best street art photographers. If everything comes together in time, they will be hanging 40 or 50 photos on wooden columns in the middle of the exhibition space. But as I mentioned in my first update, I made a little model of Village Underground and have tried to hang everything in the model so that I know what I’m doing when I arrive at the space on the 16th. Everything just fits, so Roa better not be painting anything too huge (unless I love it, which I’m sure will be the case)!

Well, I’m writing this at 2am and so it’s time for me to get a bit of sleep. Can’t wait to see everybody at The Thousands on the 18th, and if you haven’t preordered The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In yet, why not? You should buy it. It’s good. Then again, I wrote it, I’d better think it’s frigging amazing.

THE THOUSANDS
Updates from RJ Rushmore
03 November, 2009

• Check out more on Vandalog »

Once upon a time, in 1942..

"As a major art form born in the 20^th century somewhere, we do know one thing: modern graffiti began around 1942 during WWII, when both a name and its graffiti version were first linked to each other. That name is KILROY. A worker in a bomb manufacture in Detroit, Michigan, Kilroy got the habit of writing “kilroy was here” on each item that came through his factory line for inspection. The bombs were then sent to Europe, where Kilroy became famous. Soldier started writing “Kilroy was here” on any wall that still stood after a bombing. And later, Kilroy actually became a symbol during peace protests"

From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art anthology... The real Street Art Bible !!

Oscuro Scrutare - A Scanner Darkly

The Patricia Armocida Gallery is proud to present Oscuro Scrutare, a Italian premiere collective show from Scarful, Luca Barcellona, Dem, 108, Marco Klefisch, an more.

Taking the name from the novel of Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly, the exhibition's goal is to explore the fascination with the macabre and the seductive power of the undefined.

The artists are confined to the use of only black, white and a single colour of their choice, yet this limited palette also serves as tool of creative liberation..

36 Chambers style !! See you there !!

Untill 22 December, Galleria Patricia Armocida, via Bazzini 17, Milano

• Check out more @ Galleria Patricia Armocida »

Dorothy Circus Gallery will inaugurate their new exhibition on Halloween night with Rubedo, an exhibition of David Stoupakis and Silvia Idili.

Rubedo is the last step of alchemical opus, where blood permitted the perfect union between spirit and substance... Red will be the exhibition's theme, an atmosphere similar to a noir carnival.

Drago will be there. Do you?

Inauguration on 31 October, 8:00 pm - via Nuoro 17, Rome

• Check out more @ Dorothy Circus Gallery »

Drago is proud to announce the release of From Style Writing to Street Art: a Street Art anthology by Magda Danysz in collaboration with Mary Noelle Dana. This 400-page book is the first street art anthology ever published and it has been said that it is one of very few books that warrant attention, but it warrants attention without question. From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art anthology, aims at explaining how street art became a major artistic movement at the turn of the 21st century. From graffiti pioneers in the 60s, to the street art diaspora during the 80s, to whatever new issues and practices have emerged since the 90s, to which artists are making a difference, this book covers it all.

There is major talent in the history of graffiti. And this talent is, in the end, the only answer to the infamous “But… is it really art?” question. Out of this both compact and diffuse form of expression, real art practices have emerged, absolutely unquestionable in terms of quality and longevity. This book is about why this is Art.

Magda Danysz is always in search of art that is new, different, and moreover dynamic. Drago is an international art publishing house and local trend bureau which focuses on new expressive forms and underground culture. The unique union between Drago and Ms. Danysz provides us with a book and an exhibition that defines the story of street art. Between fifty artists and forty years of graffiti, this book has already been defined as the bible of street art.

Drago will be present to launch their newest publication at the Magda Danysz Gallery on Saturday October 24, 2009 for the inauguration of the exhibition, From Style Writing to Street Art. However, that is only the beginning. The Drago team will be back in Paris and at the gallery in December with more books, parties, and events. This exhibition is not to be missed; however if you miss us this time never fear. We’ll be back.

The Magda Danysz Gallery
From Style Writing to Street Art: a Street Art anthology
78 Rue Amelot - Paris
Saturday October 24, 2009
18.00 – 21.00

• Read more on the Drago's Events »

The Don Gallery presents JONONE, the first artist's solo show in Italy. Milan is waiting for him, and for his large canvas and colorful paintings.
JonOne's work is an allegory of the Urban Jungle in wich most of us live, seen always from the optimistic and innocent side of life.
Let's have a look, from the 22 October to 21 November, see with your own eyes the marvelous style of JonOne.

• Check out more @ The Don Gallery »

Alla Galleria Mondo Bizzarro torna il Pop Surrealism.
"Natural Beauty - American Pop Surrealism Group Show": una collettiva di artisti approda, direttamente dall'America, in una delle più suggestive gallerie romane.
Curata da Alessandro Papa e Gloria Bazzocchi, la collettiva vedrà uno a fianco all'altro artisti del calibro di Shang, con l'ormai inconfondibile richiamo agli anni Cinquanta; Elisabeth McGrath e le sue sculture grottesche, la pittura mortifers di Chris Mars, la grafica retrò di Gary Taxali e poi Scott Musgrove, Jessica Joslin, Bob Dob, Nathan Ota e molti, molti altri..

• Check out more @ Mondo Bizzarro Gallery »

If You missed the 20 Retrospective at the Boston ICA, you can catch it at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand is organized by The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and features over 20 year of the artist's work, including illustrations, screen prints, collages, works of wood, metal and canvas.

In the 1989 the first Andre the Giant has a posse sticker was created and the OBEY GIANT project was born. Twenty years later, Shepard Fairey has a solo retrospective exhibition at the Warhol. Within that time, Fairey has gone from artsy prankster and skateboarders' underground hero to worldwide cultural phenomenon for his murals, fine art prints, and street art poster campaigns.

• Check out more @ WARHOL.org »

'Jesus Help Me Find My Proper Place' is a solo exhibition of works by Lucas Price, previews on Thursday 15 October at The Black Rat Press, London, UK.

Painting under the name Cyclops Lucas is one of London's most prolific street artists and a founding member of the Burning Candy Collective. Lucas' gallery works have a raw urgent feel to to them, both angry and intimate, as if he has purged his mind in the process of applying paint to canvas. Often heavily layered and incorporating overlapping text and images they have a striking honesty and freshness to them. FOr this show Lucas has created an installation which promises to confuse the senses and give a unique insight into his view of the world.

• Check out more @ The Black Rat Press »

HOt HOt HOt HOt HOt..

On one fateful day in 1992, Estevan Oriol, who at the time was the bouncer at what was probably the most notorious club in Los Angeles, became the manager of the rap ground House of Pain. During their first tour, thank to an old camera given to him by his father, Estevan discovered his passion: photography. It was only a short time before his was to become one of the most highly demanded photographers in the Urban and Hip-Hop community.

His style is direct and unforgivin, grainy images done in black and white or color that leave no space for fantasy or discretion. His images present the viewer with a world that is slightly out of focus and a bit confusing, almost as though the air within that photograph was heavy and hard to breath. His vision has been throughout the nineties and still is today the official eye through which the world will see the Streets of Los Angeles.

• Check out more on Estevan webpage »

On November 18th, The Thousands, an exhibition of some of the world’s best street art, will open in London for just 5 days at the Village Underground. The Thousands will feature original work by some of the top names in street art: Faile, Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Herakut, Barry McGee and many more. Most of the work will come from private collections, but there will be a few brand new pieces direct from the artists.

Well, I finished editing "The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In" and sent it to the fine folks at Drago. Last Wednesday the 30th, I spoke with Nicola, Drago’s designer, and he said I should have my book to them by Friday, Monday at the latest. Possible, but not easy. For most of September, I’d been at an internship during the day and worked on The Thousands at night. Last week was my first week without a day job. I knew the book was due soon, but didn’t realize how soon! I mean, the deadline was less than a week away. That was soon!

What had I done for the book so far? Well I knew which artists would be included in the book. The cover was finished. I’d written about half of the artist bios I was responsible for and the other contributors (Elbowtoe, Elisa Carmichael, Panik ATG…) had sent in their pieces (for the most part). I had some pictures, and I’d started laying out a few pages. I think Armsrock’s was the only one you could say was 100% finished. I had a crapload of work ahead of me. Not only was I finding photos and writing the book, but I was also doing all the design work. So for 5 days I worked 12-hour to send Drago a completed book by deadline.

Normally I’m the type to respond to any email within 24 (or at worst 48) hours. I probably sent less than 10 non-book-related emails while I was working. I probably sent 20 emails every day bugging artists and photographers about sending in the promised high res images.

And then on Friday I realized something that was not good at all: I had extra pages. Three of them. Some artists had dropped out at the last minute and didn’t want to be involved with the book, and the forward that I thought would take up 2 pages only took up 1! After squeezing what were formally 2 pages into 1, I had 4 extra pages and room for 2 more artists. And only 3 days to find those artists, write their bios, get photos, and lay out those pages.

Luckily, there were plenty of artists I wanted to include in the book but didn’t have space for, so I sent out a few emails and made some phone calls. Two more artists were confirmed within 24 hours. Minor emergency averted.

So Sunday night comes around and guess what. I finished everything. A few edits on Monday and I FedEx’d all the files to Drago so that they can start on getting the book printed.

Oh the relief. Somehow, given in almost no time at all, I have completed a damn good book in time for its release in November.

THE THOUSANDS
Updates from RJ Rushmore
07 October, 2009

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Prendi tre artisti e tre box 36 Chambers. Lasciali soli qualche minuto con gli attrezzi del mestiere.. Et voilà! Les jeux sont faits!

Drago, con l'occasione del FREeSHOUT?! Festival, ha dato il via a un progetto di customizzazione che vedrà alcuni fra i migliori artisti della scena street italiana e internazionale alle prese con la personalizzazione del primo dei 3 box che costituiscono la collana 36 Chambers.

Akab, Andreco e Moneyless. Una scatola bianca che non aspetta altro di essere personalizzata. Tre artisti, tre box, tre stili, tre ore.

Questo è il risultato. E non finisce qui!

• Lorenzo Giordano website »

Exhibitions, concerts, workshops, urban interventions. FREeSHOUT!? 2009, 1st to the 4th of October, features new contents on the background of a mosaic of imaginary countries and micro-nations, real or mental states created out of nothing and described through diversified creative pieces.

Iperuranio, the Devised World is the title of the call for proposals for the 2009 edition of the FREeSHOUT!? Festival: a selection of works created around the idea of inexistent worlds. The proposals of expositive and/or performative nature that best fulfilled the brief of reflection on the actual global equilibriums and in particular on the concept of confrontation, conflict, utopia and crisis have been selected to be part of the 2009 events listing. A jury will then choose, among the selected artists, the most deserving project that will be awarded a funding of one thousand Euros for the realization of a cultural project.

The artists and the projects tell the real world through contrasts and hyperboles, critically documenting phenomena of the contemporary world, wondering on the possible alternatives generated by plausible historical variables, reflecting on the interchanges between the social order and the inner nature of the human being. They find in the creation of political, geographical and social forms the expressive keys for their own art.

It is therefore a collection of places that obey to the logic of their creators in relation or in contrast to the logics of the real world. An alternative world called Iperuranio, the land in which, according to Plato, ideas leave. Ideas that FREeSHOUT!? intends as developed and applied in a creative gesture, that is why “A Devised World”.

Some of the projects have been selected through a call for proposals and one of them will be named the winner and awarded with the funding for the realization of a cultural project.

 The many installations exhibited at the Cantieri Culturali of Officina Giovani in Prato are the core of a wider intervention that acts on the urban fabric of the city with permanent artistic interventions of different nature. They are also the background for workshops and live sets.

One of the workshops will be held with members of the Drago team on Friday October 2, 2009 at 14,00. They will be presenting three 36 Chambers Series box collections which have been custom designed by artists Akab, Money.less, and Andreco who will be present to sign prints for the fans.

For Drago's exclusive photos of the event and interviews with the artists check out our site next week to see what happened in Prato.

• Check out more @ FREeSHOUT!? »

On November 18th, The Thousands, an exhibition of some of the world’s best street art, will open in London for just 5 days at the Village Underground. The Thousands will feature original work by some of the top names in street art: Faile, Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Herakut, Barry McGee and many more. Most of the work will come from private collections, but there will be a few brand new pieces direct from the artists.

Right now I should be at university studying something like post-Cold-War American politics. And that would be fine. Instead I’m taking the year off to curate The Thousands, a street art exhibition, and write The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In, a companion book to the exhibition.

The Thousands is opening on November 18th at Village Underground in London, and there will be artwork there from almost all the top names in street art as well as my favorite up and coming street artists. Painting Outside, Breaking In will be released the same day.

I only started thinking about curating an art exhibition about six months ago, and while my friends and family were happy to entertain the idea of The Thousands, it was a pipe dream. In fact, with only a high school diploma and no art history education, traditional standards would say that I am MASSIVELY under-qualified to curate an art exhibition.

It wasn’t until I was in Rome this summer and I met with Paulo of Drago Lab that anybody (including myself) really believed that The Thousands was going to happen. Paulo and I were talking about how I knew the exhibition would lose money, and Paulo said something along the lines of “You should make a film about putting on your exhibition. That way you can sell the film to a television station, and if things don’t work out, you could sell that documentary too.” I think he was half joking. Paulo was the first guy to say to me: “You know this might be a spectacular failure right?” And that’s when I knew I really was going to be curating an art exhibition. It was a bit scary, but why should I be expected to follow society’s convention that I be able to grow a proper beard before being allowed to curate an art exhibition? So what if I have no idea what I’m doing?

Most of my work so far has been about finding artwork to display. Luckily, my dad and I both have street art collections, so I was able to start at home. Worst case, The Thousands could have been just my dad’s collection and least one person would enjoy the show. With that strong starting position and after some mentions in blogs like Artnet and Arrested Motion, I was able talk to other art collectors and things just started to snowball from there. People were offering to loan me some amazing paintings.

Some days I feel overwhelmed with all the artwork, other days I get nervous that all these great collectors will pull out of the exhibition because I am inexperienced. But most days I’m confident that it will all work out and The Thousands will be one of the best street art exhibitions of 2009.

My next step is laying out The Thousands with a scale model of all the artworks hanging in a cardboard version of Village Underground. This is something I’m a bit worried about. What happens when I discover I don’t have as much space as I thought, or half the gallery is empty? I probably should have planned this all a bit more carefully…

THE THOUSANDS
Updates from RJ Rushmore
24 September, 2009

• Check out more on Vandalog »

For the occasion of WK Interact's book launch in New York back in July 2009, we at Drago were given the privilege to meet with the artist and ask him a few questions about his work, his views on art, and his new book "2.5 New York Street Life." Check out his words of wisdom:

WK INTERACT
Exclusive Interview: Summer 2009

DRAGO: Who are you? How do you define yourself and is it different from how you project your public image?
WK INTERACT: I AM MY WORK AND MY WORK IS WHO I AM

D: What is your origin? Do you feel French, American, or Global?
WK: FRENCH-NEW YORKER

 D: Why street art?
WK: I LOVE TO INTERACT WITH THE STREET ...I also enjoy finding objects on the street.
    
D:  Do you see a difference between your work on the street and the work you do for the traditional art world, aka galleries?
WK: THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT ON THE STREET THERE EXISTS AN UNLIMITTED SURFACE AND AN INFINITE POSSIBILITY TO INTERACT WITH THE VEWER.

D: Legal or Illegal?
WK: BOTH, HOWEVER THE PROJECTS WITH THE MOST IMPACT ARE ILLEGAL.

D: Do you consider “Street” to be a movement? Drago believes that the “street movement” is the only avant-garde of the moment that the combination of street and the internet creates a global attitude of civil society. Do you agree or disagree?
WK: I DO THINK  URBAN  STREET  or  STREET ART  have  a  impact  … WE WILL  SEE  IF THAT  IMPACT WILL BE  PART  OF  NEXT  DECADE

D: Are the streets united or divided?
WK: DEPENDING WHO IS LOOKING AND WHO IS A  PART  OF  IT

D:  What is your approach/attitude towards collectors & the multinational?
 WK: I JUST WORK ON MY STUFF WITHOUT ANY REGARD TO COLLECTORS. BEFORE CONSIDERING THAT I NEED TO LIKE WHAT I DO.

D: What is your dream? For yourself, the future, for art, etc…
WK: I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MY DREAM. NOW I JUST HAVE TO KEEP WORKING ON IT!

D: What do you think about books? Do they have a place in the future or will they be left behind?
WK: IT IS A MATTER OF TIME AND SPACE …I BELIEVE IT WILL BE A PRIVILEGE TO OWN CERTAIN BOOKS… BUT THE FUTURE WILL TAKE  OVER…

D: How do you see the 36 chambers project?
WK: IT IS AN INTERESTING PROJECT …  IN FACT, I THINK I PROPOSED IT TO DRAGO?

D: Who is your Mona Lisa?
WK: MY MONA LISA IS THE STREET.  EVERYDAY TWISTING.

D:  What you think about the art system? Fight, flight, or a “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” attitude?
WK: DO YOUR OWN THING

D:  Fuck or be fucked? - That is the question. How do you avoid the rat race?
WK: IN TIME IT  WILL COME  TO  A  END  … YOU  JUST  HAVE  TO  ANTICIPATE IT.

D: Can you tell us your position on the incident in Miami?
WK: NOTHING TO TELL PART  OF  LIFE   

D: Clash of the civilization, Cash of the civilization, or Crash of the civilization?
WK: CRASH

D: “I had a dream.” Tell us about it.
WK: MY DREAMS  ARE  PRIVATE

Click here to download the interview. (pdf)

• Check out more at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery »

He posts up hands on the city's wall, at night; She takes photos, while another takes video footage. He paints huge, skeletal, laquered, wrinkled hands. Those hands remind us of Picasso's Guernica and Munch's The Scream...

...

Lui affigge mani per la città, di notte; lei lo fotografa; l'altro li riprende con la telecamera.

Lui realizza mani enormi, scheletriche, smaltate, vecchie; mani che ammiccano a Guernica come a L'Urlo di Munch.

Viene allora da chiedersi: cosa accomuna le mani dipinte da un Picasso arrabbiato che descrive la Guerra Civile Spagnola e quelle accennate da un freddo norvegese con il tipico gusto nordico per l'angoscia esistenziale?

Troviamo il dolore, forse. Troviamo sicuramente un atteggiamento, in entrambe le opere, di sorda e sofferta 'impotenza', una pesante consapevolezza del fatto che, per quanti sforzi umani si possano impiegare, la causa di questo male di vivere non proviene da noi, è esterna, è altrove ma ci contiene. E' l'Altro, forse.

Lui , infatti, alla mostra non c'era. E' però arrivato, tardi, alla mostra di un altro.

Ma torniamo al nostro triangolo.

Lui affigge mani in giro per la città, furtivo, di notte. Lei lo segue e lo fotografa. Ma non fotografa tanto lui, quanto ciò che lui crea. Scatti analitici, dettagli, macro.

Lei guarda dentro, attraverso la sua lente, mira, non si cura dell'architettura d'insieme o dell'armonia della cornice. Lei documenta passo passo l'evento, segue tutte le fasi della gestazione, dal concepimento fino al parto. Poi, queste prove della sua presenza, le appende a un filo con le mollette, creando così una buffa sequenza di fotogrammi che riecheggia agli esperimenti dei fratelli Lumiere, o all'asciugatura nella camera oscura. Poi le espone.

L'altro riprende tutto. C'è sempre bisogno di un altro perchè la storia interessi a qualcuno. I romanzi ce lo insegnano da secoli - millenni. Se fossero due - scusate - sarebbero solo fatti loro. Ma, fortunatamente, c'è qualcuno che impersona lo sguardo. Lui li spia e noi - a questo punto - siamo autorizzati a identificarci con lui, invitati a guardare, legittimati a spiare.

L'altro è lo sguardo che ci qualifica come spettatori.

Dal Basso, prodotta da NU Factory, una mostra evento che racconta una storia romana nella cornice del Brancaleone. Questi Jules e Jim del Terzo Millennio ci hanno teso una mano.

Anzi tre. Molto grandi e, nella loro forza destabilizzante, anche molto attraenti.

Avete fatto voi questo orrore, maestro?

No, è opera vostra.

(Risposta di Picasso a un ufficiale tedesco, in visita al suo studio, alla visione di Guernica)

DAL BASSO è un collettivo intermediale che, attraverso Street Art, fotografia, video e musica racconta una storia: la storia di una Città Eterna che vive dentro e fuori gli spazi predisposti all'arte, che è in sintonia con l'ambiente circostante, modificandolo e modificandosi in base a esso. Come le mani realizzate da Jb che, quasi fossero qualcosa di organico, appena vengono rinchiuse in uno spazio chiuso si rinsecchiscono e perdono vitalità, quasi fosse venuta loro a mancare la luce e l'aria che gli permette di vivere...

Nono vi resta che andare a vedere. Brancaleone, fino all11 ottobre. E aspettare per l'intervista inedita che Drago ha realizzato per voi.

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Our very own Bin Von gives Clark Magazine an exclusive interview on the philosophy of Drago and some of our up coming projects.
"Une forte relation, faite d'estime et de respect, s'installe parfois immédiatement, instinctivement, entre des individus."

CLARK: Who created Drago, who is the team, could you tell us more on that first please ?

DRAGO: Drago’s Imperial Headquarters was created the 1.1.2000 by seven global nomads who were brought together by the power of their shared vision. These enlightened wanderers found themselves in Roma, the Kaputt Mundi, for a cultural gangbang. It turned out to be just the right place at just the right time.  It is here that they created the Zentralkomitat which is a philosophy based on the meritocracy in which we can only be limited by our own civilized self-destruction. The members currently in office of Drago’s Counsil of Cultural Ninjas are Bin Von (Germany), Uzi(Roma), Min Kia(USA), Lumumba (Congo), Babalao (France), Lama (Italia), and Pusher (UK). Outside of the Core of Dragons there are the different NODOS (Knots – in Italian Nucleo Operativo Drago) that work in different cities like San Paulo, Rotterdam, Hong Kong and Lagos and for special projects. Our personal names make no difference as we want to serve the street and civil society believing that the artistic movement that we call “SIC!”(Systema of Independent Culture) and that other people name Urban Art, Street Art, Graffiti, Popsurrealism, Ronin etc, is the only global avant-garde movement of our time and that the streets breed the answer to the question of what it means to have a just, civil society. A society where dreams still exist.

C: What were the one or several reasons you guys created an independent publishing house?

D: Roma is eternity. Roma is spiritual. Books are done for eternity. Books are spiritual. For many years each Dragon worked in different worlds of the cultural industry. Our train d’union was our love for printed press, books, fanzines, magazines, and the web.  We believe that publishing is the only environment that has retained its “outsider” status from the official, incestuous, and elitist art circuit and its existence fortifies civil society in order to fight the matrix of globalized power that is destroying the world. The artists of this movement have something to say and for that there will be a bright future. As independent publishing house nobody can tell us how things “should be” so based on the theory of “Mille Plataux” we are free to fortify the “systema” from the inside and help people to fight and to dream.

C: As I know, you have a pretty punk and no concession approach of picking writers/contributors and publishing book... How would you describe best Drago state of mind ?

D: Memento mori. Kittesencula Mood – Bushido Way! Our style is a remix of Edith Piaf (J’ai ne regretted rien) and Frank Sinatra (I did it my way).
We are living in the times of NEWE (NEUE WELT) in the third pop re-evolution of the first era of globalization.  In the remix of pop culture (REP) Drago represents the NUBAS (NU BARBARIANS) of the S – Generation (S like Systema, Street, Style, Speed, Sound, Sex, Social…). In the Society of the Spectacle the creative class exists as SUC (Systema Ufficiale of Culture) versus SIC! (Systema of Independent Culture). Street rules – not the palace. The world is changing. The old world is dying. The time of mercy is over.

C: What are the main books Drago is famous for and that, you guys, are proud of?

D: Waking up in Roma every day we have thousands of years of history right in front of us. This privilege has taught us to follow the philosophy of carpe diem. It’s a life style and an attitude. NO rest for the weary, you can sleep when you’re dead.
Every Book is like a baby with his own special story, a tale of love and glory.
Books like Ed Templeton “Golden Age of Neglect”, Aaron Rose “Young, Sleek and Full of Hell”, Mike Giant “Muerte”, Nick Walker “A Sequence of Events” and “Itzastikup” curated by Microbo, Bo and The Don are diamonds.  The project of which we are most proud is the 36 Chamber Series, we are in the midst of tackling what will be a great feat that, if it works, will be THE accomplishment of the moment, not only of great artists, but of great thinkers of the street mindset.
The 36 Chambers Series is inspired by the 1978 movie, Enter the 36 Chambers of Shaolin, a martial arts classic, featuring Gordon Liu. The plot is about an abbot who leads his disciples through a ritual journey, which proves bravery and cleverness as each of his students overcome the hidden obstacles in each chamber in order to reach true knowledge. This is a story about stamina and strength, both internal and external, that also inspired the debut LP by the Wu-Tang Clan, a milestone of hardcore rap in the 90s.
The same philosophy is the key to the project that Drago will accomplish, thirty six books in three years,  involving the main characters of the international independent scene. Each volume represents a room where artists, crews, and those that share the street mindset of the hardcore over-ground will express the core of their work.
The first fifteen books of the series come from the artists and collectives: Marte, King Kong, Papik Rossi, Whystyle, Pax Paloscia,Sophie Toulose,TV Boy,… Fupete & Jack la Motta, CtInk, Mike Giant, Nick Walker, WK Interact, Logan Hicks. And as you know, one of the reasons we are here in Paris is for the release of our sixteenth book for 36 Chambers, Mai/JonOne, the collaboration between urban art’s fabulously fierce couple, JonOne and Mai Lucas.

C: I notice you travel quite a lot, meet some interesting people I guess, creative people, great thinkers, etc, I mean you apart of a scene right? What are your views and ideas on today's world thru this?

D: The so called credit crunch showed us the matrix we live in which we live.  In this world of power, the creative class developed themselves in the mainstream of minorities where rebel sell and where the creative scene plays the fluffer. The dreams of 68 and the conquest of the civil society are over. Conservative Backlash is there.
Drago believes that the future lays in the street and is connected by internet. The Systema of Independent Culture (SIC) is the future mindset of a global change where power miserably fails. As we have seen with this so called credit crunch, the hegemonic powers panicked and  attempted to avoid destruction by flooding out their money(rubinetti) and offering what were only old formulas with no real basis for recovery…it was like, “Buy more! Get more credits! Sorry for the past!”
The Systema is the most important movement in contemporary culture and acts as the amniotic sac for global collective imagery. In The Society of Spectacle, the independent culture risks being suppressed by the mainstream and sold out to the cannibals of images. This alarming situation led Drago to become the Jedi of the movement and acting as a catalyst for creative vanguards it has become one of the most enlightened  groups of thought in our days. It is the last frontier of the hardcore over-ground and it serves as a symbol of social globalization grounded on solidarity, pureness, eclecticism and innovation.

C: JonOne is publishing 2 books with Drago. Whats your relation with him, how this project was built and how is gonna come out ?

D: Honor to the father. If we speak about SIC!, we speak about graffiti. If we speak about graffiti everybody nominates Keith Haring and Basquiat(SAMO). Two dead artist. But the history of graffiti was executed by brilliant (living) artists that didn’t get the respect they deserve. JonOne is  one of them. For twenty five years the world forgot the graffiti artists of the first hour and treated them like shit so it’s good to see that now their art is getting the attention that it was owed all along. JonOne at the moment is showing his work in a group exhibition in New York,  two solo exhibitions for Magda Danysz, one in Shanghai and the other in Paris, and he was chosen by the Fondation Cartier as one of the main artists for their show which is also this month in Paris. Jonone is the memory and the spirit of a world and a time that is good to honor. Drago is publishing now two books with him and we are happy to eternally freeze this creative explosion with our publications and also honored by the privilege he has bestowed by collaborating with Drago.

C: What about the Magda Danysz Book now ?

D: Magda Danysz is a great French gallerist that had the courage to believe in great artists like Shepard Fairey, Miss Van, Mike Giant, Dalek, Ray Caesar and many others. We have already worked with her on two books for  Mike Giant and one for Dalek and she is caliente. The new book with Magda Danysz is about the Exhibition of JonOne in Paris and her new gallery in Shanghai. Bomba!

C: And, of course, "Number 16" of the "36 chamber series" together with Mai Lucas? What can u tell on this please?

D: The idea behind the 36 Chamber Series is to reflect that this movement is the only avant-garde movement that exists right now. The movement is family. In this case Drago knew Mai Lucas, the brilliant contemporary art, street, music, fashion photographer and the wife of Jon and we asked her if she would do a book in collaboration with Jon and they did. It’s an amazing book where they worked together to create images that narrate their view of the scene. Eso es la Sagrada Familia! We can only win if we show that the street scene is better than the establishment which is totally fucked up. Mai, an inspired photographer, an amazing Wife, a fantastic Mother, working with her husband she helped so many artists during the dark ages of the street when they left for Paris they passed on their optimism to the struggling artist and hopeful newcomer. This book is a homage to them as artists, people, and parents because when you see their two children, Taika and Shanae,  you know that they showed that dreams can become real.

C: What are the further projects ? I heard about Lucas Price and another important project... !

D: Yes. The next Book of the 36 chamber project will  be Lucas Price, one of the most interesting artists. His book will come out contemporaneously with his exhibition at the Black Rat Press in September. The last exhibition that we did at his Gallery was an exhibition for  Nick Walker for the 36 Chambers book A Sequence of Events which was an overwhelming success with people queuing for hours. It was like an rock concert – great vibe.
Outside of that Drago is proud to announce the first book of Estevan Oriol titled LA WOMAN. Estevan is, in my point of view, one of the most important contemporary photographers who has, after years of work, created the global imaginary of Latino culture which starts with gang culture, passes through hip hop and finishes at the end in the world of Obama – an America which remixes all the races and give hope that the world  can change.  His book is a hymn to all the beautiful chicas that makes us understand that the WASP culture is dead.

C: Any other shout outs, things we forgot to talk about, new plans, etc ?
D: We have started a re – evolution…. without weapons.

CLARK MAGAZINE
Interview with Drago’s Bin Von
by Clark Magazine
Issue # 38
Maison d’Edition Hors-Normes

Click here to download a pdf of the article in french.

• Check out more from Clark Magazine »

Bin Von gives a look at what he calls "Generation S."         
"The Golden Lamb of the Society of Spectacle"           

GENERAZIONE S: Agnelli sacrificali della società dello spettacolo  
Voglio una vita maleducata
Di quelle vite fatte, fatte così
Voglio una vita che se ne frega
Che se ne frega di tutto, si
Voglio una vita che non è mai tardi
Di quelle che non dormo mai
Voglio una vita di quelle che non si sa mai.
(Vasco Rossi,Vita spericolata, 1983)

Noi spacciamo le memorie di una generazione spacciata; memorie che sono il sacco amniotico di una globalizzazione sincopata.
Noi crediamo che la mente menta, pensando di essere natural-mente Unica, senza render-si conto che i conti bancari non sono diventati null’altro che i più cari incubatori dei nostri incubi più scontati.
Noi viviamo nell’Era amletiana, Era che si pone un nuovo interrogativo esistenziale: fottere o essere fottuto, that’s the question - in questo sogno di una notte di mezza estate.
Sei o non sei (Mina, Bula Bula 2005) questo e il tuo ES.
La Generazione S, in-dipendente, sofisticata e schizofrenica, soffre e sanguina, si distrugge sistematicamente con stile ma continua a sopravvivere sotto il segno di Dioniso, alla ricerca dello Zeitgeist perduto, sopportando i Troglos dell’establishment apollonico, esseri ipnotizzati da Mammona che ci sacrificano sarcastica/mente ebbri della loro superbia.
La Generazione S, che per forza di cose si è tra-sformata in un Panzer cinico ottimista, si sente ben piantata sul suo skate e holla sadomasochisticamente tra sistemi sovversivi, sociali, sintomatici e sessuali, sciacallandone simboli, suoni, sapori e segni. Semiotica della sinestesia contemporanea.   
La Generazione S segue sorniona attraverso un schermo la Saga del Santissimo Showman Silvio aka Colonnello Kurtz, Padre Padrone Padrino dello Starsystem de’ Noantri, e tutta la parata di caudillos, pappa e poppe, che lo scortano armati di tessere elettorali e telecomandi verso l’altrettanto sistematico s-fascio dei sogni, più o meno proibiti, degli italiani.
“Dio, perdona loro, perché non sanno quello che fanno” (Lc 23, 1-49). Poi, dopo poco però, aggiunge, “Dio mio, perché mi hai abbandonato?” (Mt 26, 14-27, 66).
L’(il)legalità è diventata una (Stock)option nella strategia del coolness(shen)individuale. Il Leitmotiv è oramai quello di sbandierare una “vita spericolata”. Vasco che diventa l’alibi di SS Silvio. Rebell Sell. Sex & Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll!
La società dello spettacolo, con la sua classe di creativi nati e cresciuti nel meraviglioso e utopico mondo dei Sessantottini è arrivata al suo Limes.  Riscriviamo la storia. Evviva Eliogabalo! Evviva Caligola! Evviva Nerone! L’imperatore Nero suonava la lira mentre Roma bruciava, altri fanno il DJ(God is a DJ-Faithless)
Alla fine erano dei creativi(sic!), sì, ma sappiamo che la creatività è come una spada di Damocle, che sta a rappresentare l'insicurezza e le responsabilità derivanti dal Potere. Da una parte si teme che questo manico del coltello venga portato via, dall’altra lo si sente che brucia in mano, ed è pesante, e sembra così difficile da mantenere… Aspettando inermi il Judgment Day (Arnold Schwarzenegger; Terminator2,1991)del Sol Invictus.
S come Serpente. LA Serpente. Il suo veleno è associato, al potere di guarire, avvelenare, o donare una coscienza espansa. Il suo cambiare pelle lo rende inoltre un simbolo di rinnovamento e re-nascita.
Siamo la Generazione S,consapevole della bellezza della velocità ma inconsapevoli dell’ebbrezza della sua divinità.
Vittoria & Fortuna.Speed rules!
Ecco a voi la benedizione della maledizione di una popolazione che cerca redenzione.
Lo Stato, lo Stato dell’Arte, lo Stato della Società dello Spettacolo, lo Stato dello Sturm und Drang, lo Stato dei post Sessantottini che annegano ignari nel Mare anch’esso Morto, fra una Sodoma e una Gomorra popolate di Caste di Signori e Schiavi, in preda a un’epidemia di sifilide intellettuale in cui solo lo Stato del Potere, ormai, conta.
Una destra senza visione vede una sinistra senza oliva, shakerata e allo sbando: perché non trovare un accordo, nel prepararsi ognuno al proprio autodafé? S-membro di un’Italia che si ritrova a vagare alla deriva, sfruttando l’onda e il moto della tettonica a zolle, aggrappata a un’Europa che pare una donna sera-fica in procinto di sfilarsi il suo Stivale.
Sembra che dopo lo smantellamento e lo s-fascio della società civile sia ritornata, più forte che mai, la spe-cul-azione finanziaria. Gli sciacalli della finanza non esitano a rafforzare una tendenza positiva nelle borse, che si traduce in un’esplosione creativa che, impollina con tutti i suoi s-vantaggi i fiori del male ben rinvasati in prima fila sugli interessi dei palazzi.
L’unica bolla speculativa che non ha mai risentito della cosiddetta crisi è stata la bolla dell’arte. Qui, salvo correzioni necessarie, il sole non è mai tramontato. L’arte ha saputo divenire lo specchio spaccato della creatività e, in questo Samsara dove il sogno diventa realtà, la crisi ha permesso al Sistema ufficiale di rendersi conto della necessità di abbracciare nuovi campi, di percorrere nuove vie per diventare Shambala.
Ecco cosa intendiamo per operazione in corso: l’ultimo movimento artistico ancora rimasto fuori dai rigidi e obsoleti schemi commerciali, è in procinto di essere lanciato. Il sic! (Systema indipendente della cultura),che rappresenta il sangue nuovo(young blood) della strada, l’innovazione, lo stile, la rete, svincolato dal vecchiume e proiettato verso l’arte urbana in tutte le sue forme: Streetart, Graffiti, Lowbrow e Renegade. Grandi interessi, grande mostre si muovono in Inghilterra, Francia, Stati Uniti e Italia in Ottobre. Rimanete sintonizzati sciallando sull onda dei vostri sogni secreti sessuali.SSSSSHHH!!!

NEXT EXIT MAGAZINE
Articolo di Paulo von Vacano
Settembre 2009, N.70


Click here to download a pdf of the article.

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For the occasion of Barry McGee's exhibition at the Alessandra Bonomo gallery, we at Drago were given the privilege to meet with the artist and ask him a few questions about his work, his views on art, and the Eternal City.

When we walked into the Alessandra Bonomo Gallery I felt like I had entered a playground of color and geometric shapes.  Barry was in the backroom of the gallery adding the finishing touches on one of the pieces and in the front room there lay his clustered masterpieces on the floor ready to be hung. He said that there was still work to be done, so I took a seat on the floor next to him and while trying to concentrate on the questions that I spent hours meticulously laying out the day before, I couldn’t help being absorbed into the world he was creating. I started flipping through my notes, trying to organize my thoughts and find a confident beginning. Here is the result:

DRAGO: Born and raised in San Francisco. What was it about growing up there that led you to be an artist? Specifically a graffiti artist?

BARRY MCGEE: Nothing really. I was always really into drawing when I was a kid and I was always drawing but I didn’t really know what to do with it. The eighties were really aesome and there was a lot going on, for example the Survival Research Laboratory really blew my mind. There were rallies and protests, just a lot of things to get involved in.

D: So you began street painting at 18 and you even had gallery shows. That’s pretty big, what pushed you to go to art school? I mean, its seems like you kind of started a career as an artist before you enrolled at the Art Institute.

BM: I was always drawing, but I didn’t really know how it was going to play out. I still don’t know how it’s going to play out. I was working in a print shop and I didn’t want to do that anymore. I was also taking art classes at a community college and they provided grants to the Art Institute.

D: Which then led to Brazil, no?

BM: Yeah, I spent a year there. In Sao Paulo. I also traveled a lot.

D: I read somewhere that your famous technique of clustering your paintings was inspired by church decoration in Brazil. Views on religion? Or, was it just an aesthetic thing?

BM: It was more aesthetic than anything. But there was an honesty about it that really appealed to me. It was a really basic form of getting a point across. They were just normal people putting things together in an unconscious way. I found it really powerful.

D: From the most recent biography I could get my hands on, between solo exhibitions and group shows, you have a more or less equal presence on U.S. soils as you have internationally. What are your thoughts on the international art scene? Where do you think you fit in?

BM: I don’t really know where I fit in, but I feel at home in San Francisco.  Graffiti here is different than back home, it has been here for so long and has had such a different purpose. Maybe because of that the European art scene seems to be more open, more willing to take a chance and it appears to do so effortlessly. In the states it always seems to be about logistics. There is more radical stuff here than in the states. There is more tolerance for graffiti in Europe, maybe because it’s younger. It kind of feels like the eighties, there is something new and naïve. There is this feeling of innocence that results from being behind the rest of the world, an openness that hasn’t been corrupted. Groups of kids are referencing the movements of the seventies and eighties, the taking the best parts, and making them their own. There seems to be less police interference, I mean you can find a blank wall almost anywhere, in San Francisco there is no space, it’s all closed down.

D: So by openness you don’t mean only openness of mind, but physical openness as well?

BM: Yeah. Rome’s openness is physical as well as mental. There is this sense of lawlessness. In the States everything needs to be super organized, here not so much.

D: Yeah, lawlessness. I would have to agree. So, what do you think about how your work is  received here?

BM: Its considered an art form here. I don’t consider this an art form.

D: So, what is it?

BM: This is commerce. I’m not trying to bring the street into the gallery. There is real graffiti and there is trend graffiti. There are those who are doing the real thing and those who are selling out. There is a lot to be said for the trappings of a price tag. The maintenance of purity comes from treating this as a hobby, not as a profession. Graffiti is a passion and a lifestyle; it doesn’t come with a price tag.

D: I read somewhere that in the beginning your work was very much a reaction to the ills of the urban experience…

BM: (Laughs)

D: So I take it that’s not the case?

BM: I’m more up beat now. When I was younger I was more world-weary. I guess it’s a part of
getting older.

D: So why the title “Mr. Brown”?

BM: I like it. (laughs)

D: And what about the geometric versus the figurative stuff?

MB: I’m trying to do less of the figurative images. They kind of became a staple, but they have their place. There are some scattered about, but I’m trying not to use them so much.

D: What still needs to be finished?

BM: Still need to hang these (motions to works laid out all over the floor of the gallery), and then there is some illegal stuff over by the Macro…

BARRY MCGEE
Exclusive Interview
at the Alessandra Bonomo Gallery
16 September, 2009

Click here to download the interview (pdf).

• Check out more at the Alessandra Bonomo Gallery »

Sixty artists from New York. Original artworks, large-scale installations and site-specific murals, sculptures, light structures, paintings and video projections, concerts, screenings and performances. This is New York Minute, the exhibition curated by Kathy Grayson, a young and well-known curator and director of Deitch Gallery (New YOrk, NY) and organized by DEPART foundation at the MACRO FUTURE Museum in Rome.

New trends of art are showcased in three different groups: street punk, wild figuration and new abstraction. SOme of the works are from artists like Dash Snow, Barry McGee, Paper Rad, Takeshi Murata, Ryan McGinley, Ry Fyan and Patrick Griffin.

• Check out more at Macro Future »

 The juxtaposition of works by Saturno Buttò and Max Papeschi at Mondo Bizzarro, a Roman art gallery mixed ‘hieratic-surgical painting’ and ‘ironical pop icons’ created by the fantasy and the spirit of these two Italian artists.

Buttò and Papeschi have completely different techniques and inspirations: Buttò’s works are done in oil on canvas, a technique which harkens back to work executed by some of Italy’s great Renaissance masters; in contrast, Papaeschi’s work races into the twenty-first century by use of digital media, bright colors and modern appeal. Although the works of these two artists appear to be on opposite sides of the spectrum, they convene on a plane where nothing is at it seems

The classical aura of Butto’s style hide the brutality of the scalpel and anesthetics, pain and the violated body; the childish joy that emanates from the Papeschi’s Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald is surrounded by Nazi symbolism or burning cities. The works of these artists present the viewer with images that are disturbingly familiar, yet perplexingly foreign.

How bizarre are the works of these artists at Mondo Bizzarro? You just have to see for yourself.

Click here to download our interview with Saturno Buttò (pdf)

Click here to download our interview with Max Papeschi (pdf)

Click here to download our interview with Mondo Bizzarro (pdf)

(pdf interviews in Italian)

Recommended by Drago.

Saturno Buttò and Max Papeschi
Hieratic Surgical Paintings and Disneyland Under Attack
Mondo Bizzarro Gallery
Via Reggio Emilia 32 c/d
00198 - Rome
September 5-October 25, 2009
06 442 47 451

• Check out more at Mondo Bizzarro »

D*Face is among a cadre of street artists whose goals are neither egotistical, nor political, but conceptual. Whereas urban dwellers may have grown tired of the repetition and redundancy of some stencil artists, whose endless reproductions of logos and names may be making Walter Benjamin smile in his grave, D*Face is more like a stylized cartoonist whose characters are too alive, demanding and confrontational to be limited to television sets, canvases or drawing boards. They’ve completely escaped the pen of their creator and are repopulating the walls of London, transforming the streets into a hyper-cartoony landscape of slit-eyed spheres and sharp-eared gremlins.

D*Face
All Your Dreams Belong to Us
Jonathan Levine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th Fl
New York, NY 10011
Sep 12 thru Oct 10, 2009
212 243 3822

• Find out more from the Jonathan Levine Gallery »

PISA73
Grains of Wrath
WILDE GALLERY
Chausseestrasse 7
D-10115 Berlin
September 12-October 10, 2009
49 (0)30 258 16 258

WILDE Gallery is pleased to announce Grains of Wrath, an exhibition of new paintings by Berlin-based artist PISA73. Alluding to John Steinbeck’s masterpiece, Grapes of Wrath, this new body of work represents a formal departure from the artist’s previous practice, while continuing his critique of institutional and corporate authority and its traditional misuse of power. Drawing primarily on the events of Walpurgnisnacht at the end of April each year, when riots commonly erupt in Berlin, PISA73’s latest series of work depicts moments of unmitigated aggression between police and protestors, but does so with a pervading stillness, a disconcerting calm, that undermines the chaos that these scenes suggest.

• Check out more at the Wilde Gallery »

BARRY MCGEE
Mr Brown
Alessandra Bonomo Gallery
Via del Gesù, 62 - 00186 Rome
Thursday 17 September 2009
39 06 699 25 858

In collaboration with DEITCH PROJECTS

On Thursday 17 September 2009, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, will inaugurate its show on Barry McGee, in collaboration with Deitch Projects.Fusing together found and invented imagery, tags and assorted objects Barry McGee draws on a range of influences including the Mexican muralists, tramp art, the graffiti artists of the 70’s and 80’s and the San Francisco Beat poets to create a unique visual language. For the occasion we we able to grab a minute of Ms. Bonomo's time and ask her a few questions about why street art and why Barry McGee...

To enter you have to walk through a maze of small courtyards, arches, and windows. From an alley in the center of Rome magically you arrive in a kind of secret garden. Green and bright, an atmosphere dominated by white walls and vaulted ceilings, and by the iron gates and bicycles. Three different environments, three different levels and three different dimensions.
It is with this fascinating sentence that Alessandra Bonomo started her interview with us, while Barry McGee prepared his exhibition, Mr. Brown, in the background:

ALESSANDRA BONOMO: This Gallery is conceived as a space in constant motion. What happen here is a sequence of events, a creative flux able to stimulate myself and empower me to stimulate my audience.

DRAGO: Why Street Art?
AB: Each artist that I choose represents a challenge. I’ve never give up on experimentation. If something works, I feel the necessity to change, to risk with something else, to dare with something new. This is one of the reasons why I’m landing on Street Art.

D: What about Barry McGee?
AB: Barry McGee, from the first time he entered in the Gallery, felt at ease. He studied the spaces in order to find the perfect set-up of his panels, some finished; others still a ‘work in progress’. He was inspired from the environment, and this made me proud.

D: Do you think that Rome influenced his work at all?
AB: For a foreign artist working in Rome can be difficult. In this ancient city there’s a lot of art, from different Eras and style, all together in less space. This situation can give you new insights but also can divert you from your goals. The artist’s reaction gives me an idea on his personality: with Barry everything seemed to be natural, as if he has lived in Rome from a long time. It was an amazing sensation for me.

See more at deitch.com

• Learn more from the Alessandra Bonomo Gallery »

MODE 2
Reality, Fantasy, And The Web
Lazarides Gallery

77 Quayside,

Newcastle Upon Tyne,

NE1 3DE

21st August - 10th October 2009

+44 (0)191 221 2560

Widely considered to be one of the most influential street artists ever, Mode 2 continues to push eroticism in his gallery work, often quite explicitly, while trying to keep men and women engaged in an egalitarian dialogue about sexuality. Capturing movement and energy, freezing the action at its most crucial stage, Mode’s work has always focused on issues close to him: love, lust, relationships, hip hop culture in all its aspects, clubbing, hanging out, the environment and motherhood.

See more images on flickr, read the press release, and check out Lazarides gallery.

• See more at Arrested Motion »

MISS VAN

Lovestain 

Stolenspace Gallery

Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery 

91 Brick Lane 

London E1 6QL 

United Kingdom 

01.10.09 - 18.10.09

44 (0) 207 247 2684 

StolenSpace are proud to present 'Lovestain' a UK premier solo show from world renowned female street artist, Miss Van. A retrospective as well as a new body of work and taking over two exhibition spaces at StolenSpace, this will be her largest solo show to date.

• Find out more from Stolen Space »

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA
THE HYDRA OF BABYLON
MERRY KARNOWSKY GALLERY
170 S. LA BREA AVENUE
(IN THE ART 170 BUILDING)
LOS ANGELES, CA 90036
323.933.4408
Saturday, September 12, 8-11pm
Hosted by Brody Dalle of the band Spinnerette

• Find out more from the Merry Karnowsky Gallery »

Dan Baldwin

Disillusion

The Carmichael Gallery

1257 North La Brea Ave

West Hollywood CA 90038

September 10 - October 1, 2009

323.969.0600

The Carmichael Gallery will be showing a solo exhibition from acclaimed painter Dan Baldwin, who will be showing new canvases, ceramics, and a limited edition print. The show opens on September 10th. 

Check out the Gallery

• Read more at UK Street Art »

Todd James (aka R.E.A.S.)

Don't Stop Get It Get It

Colette

213 RUE SAINT-HONORÉ 75001 PARIS

August 31st to October 3rd

33 1 55 35 33 97

New York based grafitti artist, Todd James, aka R.E.A.S. is having his first solo show in Paris, France. The show titled "Don't stop get it get it" consists of some recent studies and paintings that take an irreverent look at the machinations of war. 

Check out the Colette Gallery

• Read more at arrested motion »

"On November 18th, The Thousands, an exhibition of some of the world’s best street art, will open in London for just 5 days. The Thousands will feature original work by some of the top names in street art: Faile, Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Herakut, Barry McGee and many more. Most of the work will come from private collections, but there will be a few brand new pieces direct from the artists.

Last summer, the Tate Modern put street art outside their museum, and this year the Bristol Museum let Banksy take over for a few months. Those are definite steps in the right direction, but The Thousands attempts to show the art world and the public that there are great works of art within the sphere of “street art,” and that street artists deserve a place in art history at least equal to that of The Young British Artists or the great pop artists. Unlike any show that a gallery can organize (not that there’s anything wrong with art galleries), the goal of The Thousands is not to sell work, but to publicize it, and the vast majority of the work on display won’t be for sale. It’s on loan from collectors. To help extend that promotion effort even further, Drago Lab will be publishing a companion book to the exhibition."

• Read more at Vandalog »

Green Day has partnered up with artists such as Logan Hicks to create a traveling street art exhibition.  The artists are drawing their inspiration for their art from Greenday's 21 Century Breakdown album.

• Read more at Vandalog »

A prototype for a wii spray can has been develeoped by Martin Lihs as a final thesis project at Bauhaus University in Germany. The concept seems thrilling. A new way for artists (or wanna be artists) to express themselves from the safety of their own couch. Now everyone can be a street writer without having to worry about getting arrested! Let's leave that to the professionals....

• Read more at UK Street Art »

Shepard Fairey has put up some new work in Pittsburg throughout the streets. Here is a look at some of that art work.

• Read more at Juxtapoz »

WK Interact took over a wall in Ancona Italy.

We must say its pretty amazing.

• Read more at Wooster Collective »

Blu's recent mural was painted as a political statement against the money hungry Italian polliticans of Taranto, Italy.

• Read more at Vandalog »

We thought this was pretty cool.

Sou Fujimoto was inspired by the popular game Jenga to create a house that looks very similar to the game.

• Read more at Juxtapoz »

Some new street art by Nick Walker has been showing up on the streets of LA. Thanks to Wooster Collective we have some of the images here.

• Read more at Wooster Collective »

A group called National Public Advertising Outdoor, puts up fake ads on sides of buildings and other other pulic spaces throughout New York and other loarge cities. Putting up these ads is illegal, although they have not gotten much retalation from the police forces.

The public Ad campaign decided to whitewash over 120 illegal billboards around New York. Artists then created their own visions in these whitewashed spaces.

The NPA then reataliated and put their ads back up within a matter of hours. After which, to find a legal loophole they mounted a sign saying "Coming soon to this location: a chance to win these posters and other prizes inside".

So in an effort to call out the NPA, Posterchild and Jason Eppink replaced the NPA notice with a notice saying "Coming soon to this location more illegal ads and other bullshit you didn't ask for".

We love a good art battle.

Thanks to Vandalog for the link to this story.

• Read more at Vandalog »

For the month of September, the annual Nuart festival will come to Stavanger located on the West coast of Norway. Nuart 2009 is focused on artists working, living, or contributing to New York and Brooklyn street art scene over the past years.

The full line up includes artists: Swoon, David Choe, Ben Wolf, Graffitti Research Lab, Brad Downey, Judith Suprine, Leon Reid IV, Chris Stain, Logan Hicks, and Skewville.

• Read more at Juxtapoz »

In July, Pisa's town council -Rate Civic Pisano- appointed D*Face to paint a mural in dedication to Keith Haring. Keith Haring had been comissioned twenty years prior to paint a rare "permanent" mural named "Tutto Mondo". Keith Haring's mural was completed in 1989 and is still gleaming today.

We hope that the D*Face mural also stands the test of time. Nice work enlightened council. Bravo D*Face, Bravo Pisa.

• Read more at Arrested Motion »