One Brazilian artist I have been following for nearly 6 years now is Calma aka Stephan Doitschinoff. I’ve been lucky to meet him a number of times during his career and helped with his monograph published by Die Gastalten.
So in a new departure for the artist it was great to find out about this animation which features Calma’s art beautifully.
So its been over two years in the making but it’s coming soon… My latest book, Street Sketchbook: Journeys is now appearing for pre-release on Amazon.
I’ll be writing more about it in the coming months, the official release date is 27th September – with a launch party in London lined up for the 1st October.
There are so many fantastic artists and their personal stories in this one but I don’t want to give the game away too soon…
But just today I heard news of a piece two of the artists appearing in the book did together. Saner and Sego were two artists I met on my travels in Mexico last year and this book has a Mexican flavour to it with nearly a third of the artist’s coming from all over Mexico.
Painted at the National Museum of Popular Cultures – its an absolutely stunning piece which gives a flavour of what’s coming in this next book. To read more about the project check Saner’s blog. Also check Sego’s blog for more great work and fantastic photos.
This summer saw the birth of another new street art festival – this time in the beautiful walled city of Caceres – (which reminds me of my days working for WOMAD, who produce a great festival there every year).
The festival is called Insitu and is the brain-child of San, a very talented artist from Madrid who appeared in my Street Sketchbook book.
Some great new works were produced by an all star line-up of artist’s many of whom have featured in books of mine in the past such as the elegant Escif, the magnificent Herbert Baglione and multitalented Sam3. Not too mention Honet, Spok and Nano4814.
This month Choque Cultural gallery in Sao Paulo present a solo show by Zezao, an artist who continues to impress me through his artwork and actions. I first got to know Zezao researching the Graffiti Brasil book in around 2004.
Having been involved in graffiti painting, train bombing and pichacao tagging for many years – Zezao is a graffiti veteran. By the time I was introduced to him he had evolved his own style of painting his “flops” (throw-ups). These flops are characteristically painted in shades of blue in a free-form style. He has become most famous for painting these flops in the sewers of Sao Paulo, but he also paints them on the streets, particularly where the homeless build makeshift shelters and sleep by the road side.
As he paints the “homes” of the rough sleepers, who sometimes include families – he talks with them, gets to know them and helps them out when he can. By painting where they live, his paintings become a sign of life or a notice of the people living there. It is a simple way of acknowledging people who are often ignored by the thousands of people who drive past them everyday.
So how does Zezao’s art work in a gallery context? Zezao doesn’t claim to be the new Picasso, he is very modest about his own artistic talents. However he is always pushing his art and exploring in directions such as performance, installation and photography to name a few. His abstract forms have an integrity and skill from many years of painting, but he doesn’t rely on simply reproducing what he creates on the street. He draws from his experiences of the city both above ground and subterranean in his creations.
By all accounts this current show is Zezao’s most critically successful to date. In his various works using ripped posters and materials sourced on the street, along side his signature gold and blue palette, as well as beautiful photographs of his underground installations. All images courtesy of Lost Art.
Out of the Sth returns in 2010 – this brilliant street art festival co-curated by Sławek ZBK Czajkowski aka Zbiok is back again in Wroclaw, Poland. I wish I had been able to attend!
International painters creating murals include many artists I’ve have featured in books in the past and with whom I am also very personally fond of…
Mudwig (Bristol), Dem (Milan), Fefe Telavera (San Paulo/Madrid), Vova Vorotniov (Kiev), Escif (Valencia), Erica Il Cane (Bologna), Jiem (Lille), SickBoy (London) and Zosen (Barcelona)
Finished piece by Sickboy and Mudwig
Sickboy
Escif
Ericailcane
All images borrowed from Just Taking Pictures blog which has full coverage and hundreds of photographs and video.
BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico makes me so mad – and of course I’m not the only one raging at the recklessness of BP, by all accounts rushing into risky strategies to suck every last drop of oil from the earth at the cost of the planet. So I was at least heartened to see some artists getting things off their chests and reminding us that this disaster is getting worse and around the world conservation and ecology come a poor second to capitalism.
Greenpeace have set up a flickr site for artists to respond to the laughably “green” logo of BP.
Famously BP’s Chief Executive wanted us all to put this environmental disaster in perspective – “I would like my life back.” he said – we had somehow overlooked the important human cost of chief executives having to work a few extra hours!
The image that finally sticks in my mind is a piece painted recently by Blu with Os Gemeos in Lisbon. The painting features an oil tycoon sucking the life out of the globe – a tragic and spot-on depiction of our times.
Image taken from Unurth website.
Yesterday Blu uploaded a making of movie of this great work with the fantastic Os Gemeos…
I have long been a fan of the artist collective 9eme Concept – a great group of artists who for years have found a way to work together and support each others work. Artists include Stéphane Carricondo, Veenom, Mambo, Ankhone, Jerk 45 and in previous years Alexone.
My introduction to them started with a visit to their studios in Paris in around 2003 when I first produced a reportage for Creative Review about them and more recently around one year ago I made a quick visit to their new space. They also now have a gallery space where they have been producing some great experimental shows.
A recent show called ‘Infinity’ at their L’ Arriere-boutique space really caught my attention. ‘Infini’ was a collaboration between painter Stéphane Carricondo and musician Orlando Diaz Corvalan. The idea was to bring two people together – one musician interested in fine arts and one artist passionate about music and see how they could interact.
Orchestrated by a metronome and the artists’s pen together they created a body of work set to rhythm. The exhibition displayed the resulting images side by side and the final result was a beautiful book of poetry and drawings created by this collaboration.
Here’s a book that gets two thumbs up from me and that’s before I’ve even read it – which I’m planning to this weekend. The reason I like it already is not because I am featured in it! – but I admire the work that has gone into it. At least two years of almost constant research I believe, particularly from Patrick Nguyen who as I understand it took a career break to work on this book full-time. He went the extra mile, putting his own funds into travels around the globe to meet artists and being persistent to get the interviews and materials needed for the book.
The book has been made with the same care that I’ve tried to put into my own books. All of my publications have taken two years to produce and where I can I travel to meet artists all over the world in person to really understand the work. But enough about me… it’s just that I believe this is the only way to do it. There are too many lazy books put together by people who have not met artists in person or experienced the art first hand – and this, I’m glad to say, is not one of them.
Although I haven’t delved fully into the book I’m already familiar with the line up of characters involved – many of whom I have had the pleasure of working with and have had adventures with in the past. These chosen artists tend to be people who push themselves, innovate and have something special about them. Many of them I’ve featured in books and know very well but I am still looking forward to reading their interviews.
Finally my own interview – yikes! I wish I had taken more care with my answers – I didn’t even proof read them. So my own answers are delivered as relaxed e.mail written replies – rather than anything too profound. But I think its okay and I’m happy to be included in this stellar list. I don’t really see myself as a “leading figure” – the books I have produced are about the artists I think are doing something interesting not about myself – but if someone wants my thoughts or experience, it was a pleasure to be included in this historical review.
For a number of years I have been in communication with the writer and journalist Chris Parkinson. During a number of visits to East Timor, Chris began to document the walls which reflected the turbulent times this country has been through. His idea was to turn this into a book, and during our correspondence I did my best to offer support in this area.
Finally the Peace of Wall book is printed and I have a copy in my hands.
It doesn’t disappoint – with admirable dedication Chris Parkinson has produced an evocative piece of photojournalism – capturing an important moment in East Timor’s history through its walls. His timely photographs uncover the memories of these walls, supported by excellent research and personal anecdotes. This book alerts us to the cultural value of graffiti and street art for public expression, rehabilitation and community building.
This is not a typical “Graffiti” book – it is more focused toward understanding the community and the way it expresses its concerns and dreams. The president of East Timor was so impressed with the book that he has found funds to have the book translated into either Portuguese (East Timor’s official language) or a native language. How many graffiti books can make the same claim!
