Archive | December, 2009
We’re going on a Roa hunt (part 2)
Roa’s back in town and creating more of his giant creatures. These two are a bit special and have appeared in London in December.
First up is this lenticular effect piece in Curtain Road, Shoreditch where Dr D originally carried off the same trick earlier in the year. Its interesting to watch the reaction of passers by as they slowly twig what is going on as they go past. It puts a smile on peoples faces which isn’t a bad thing to do when the temperature is sub zero at the moment.
from the left < > from the right
Roa in Curtain Road from the front
Armed with a location from the all seeing Nolionsinengland I arrived at the second spot (there’s a third to be discovered as well) to be confronted by a man marching towards me shouting “Oi, did you do that?”. Turns out he likes it and was working on the housing estate site next door. “Much better than your normal “Kev shags Lynda” or “Up the Spurs” innit? I mean its not exactly a pretty wall” he comments. It’s a common reaction to Roa’s work. People like it and get it. They don’t see it as graffiti but in many instances it quite clearly fits the legal description of it. The question ‘What Is Graffiti?’ has been running round forever but my favourite quote on the subject of graffiti is from the excellent ‘Crack and Shine’ London graffiti book:
“You see there are two types of writers, those who paint trains and those that don’t. For one it is a weekend hobby performed with other Dad’s, for the other it is an obsessive way of life that can sometimes feel like being in a bad marriage where all your clothes, property and freedom can be whisked away from you by a knock on your door”. TPG
more from Roa:
Decode
Last week the V&A in London opened a new show titled Decode – Digital Design Sensations. The exhibition, co-curated by onedotzero, showcases the latest developments in digital and interactive design, from small screen based graphics to large-scale installations.
Exhibition poster: Prototypes from the Flowers series, 2009 Daniel Brown
I was lucky enough to get my hands on [...]
EL CAMINO x EXIST 1981x TOCAYO
EL CAMINOxEXIST 1981xTOCAYO from EXIST1981 on Vimeo.
Cuban-born illustrator (Tocayo) collaborates with San Diego street artist (Exist 1981) on El Camino restaurant in Little Italy, SD.
Catchin’ Up With David Walker
From David:
“I was recently invited by Vhils to Lisbon as a guest painter at the annual VSP (Visual Street Performance) show. VSP is an annual live painting event which takes place in the Portuguese cities of Porto and Lisbon. This year VSP took over a huge semi-derelict school in the heart of Lisbon to be decorated by a host of Portuguese talent (including Vhils, Hium, Klit, Mosaik and more) Previous guests include CASE, Xenz, Sickboy.
I spent an amazing 5 days there painting, meeting all the crew, eating great seafood and talking to some very passionate and inspiring artists and art lovers. Thanks to all that made it a great trip.”
Show runs 26th Nov – 20th Dev 2009
Catchin’ Up With Above
From Above:
“After five weeks of riding my bike around Portland interviewing the homeless, I’m finally finished with this passionate NON-PROFIT project I have been working on to support and bring awareness to the homeless crisis here in Portland, and in general. I recently made a screen printed edition of 100 prints that are priced to sell to get more people involved and support this benevolent fundraiser. My goal is to raise $5,000 to donate before the end of the year to the TRANSITION PROJECTS homeless shelter here in Portland, Oregon.
To make a donation and purchase the print, click here.
Art Con Changes Tune – Hanks Thomas Scam
The good thing about those pathetic art scammers has been that their story never changes. They’re moving from place A to place B, they need some of your wonderful art to hang in their new home, and for some strange reason the stupid woman is always pre…
The Fiesta Resistance at Pictures On Walls / Banksy ‘No Ball Games’ print
Running every day until the 23rd December the Fiesta Resistance at the Commercial Road premises of Pictures On Walls is a fine chance to see work by Mexico’s Saner and Smithe amongst others. The usual rows of hanging prints have been replaced by corrugated iron and wooden structures to recreate an admittedly very clean little bit of Mexican slum life in Aldgate. The in store Banksy ‘No Ball Games’ prints may have all gone but Pictures On Walls have a whole raft of excellent new prints available online and in store (check out the Dran one!) with more to come before the show finishes. There’s also a wealth of original artwork on sale.
Images from the show below.
The Fiesta Resistance at Pictures On Walls. December 4th to December 23rd 2009. 46-48 Commercial Street, London E1, nearest Tube Aldgate East
