Shepard Fairey murals in Cincinnati

Recently we found ourselves in Cincinnati.  After taking in some of the local cusine (a Skyline Chili "3-way"; yes that is the actual name) we decided to see if we couldn't find some of those Shepard Fairey murals that went up in conjunction with his retrospective show "Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand" at the city's Contemporary Art Center.

We figured that since Cincinnati was a hotbed of right wing, anti-art types (remember the prosecution in 1990 of Dennis Barrie for showing Mapplethorpe?), most likely the murals would have been painted over (like this one in Kentucky was within days of it's completion) or vandalized (like the Dietch mural).  Many in Cincinnati, no doubt, believe that Shepard Fairey was the Joseph Goebbles of the 2008 presidential election.  Surely they wouldn't allow for gigantic propaganda installations from a progressive, communist, socialist, fascist, muslim-loving, supporter of the destruction of traditional marriage like Shepard Fairey to go unchallenged.

To our amazement, many of the murals we were able to locate were pristine.  The others were only slightly damaged, exhibiting varying degrees of minor peeling, and some super light toy tagging.  There was also one individual with a can of brown spray paint and a small stencil of Michael Jackson (ca. 1971 / Jackson 5 era) who had left his mark on a couple of the larger installations, but that was the pretty much the extent of it. There were no visible political attacks directed towards the murals, anywhere. Way to go Ohio!

Check out the murals on our Flicker set.
Stay on top of all things Shepard Fairey related at OBEYGIANT.

Bob Partington: the sublime potentiality of stored energy

Bob Partington is an artist who produces art and sculpture that often showcase his interest in technology and science.  He also makes cool videos that document his artistic endeavors.  We are particularly fond of three of his projects that all utilized spray paint.

The Paint Dart was brilliant in its simplicity.  It was a projectile that would stick to anything and delivered the payload of a pocket-can.  When the payload deployed, the can was triggered and would hang there discharging the paint, creating huge drippy trails down the side of whatever it was stuck on.  

With his Paint Gun and his Briefcase projects, Bob Partington took the use of spray paint in new directions and pushed the boundaries of the medium.  I won't waste time describing the works to you.  You'll simply have to view the videos for yourself.  They are stunning in their originality and their utilization of technology.  That briefcase is utter brilliance- and we really, really, really want one!


"Bob’s approach to art-making comes from his interest in energy, and it’s modes of transference: Energy moved in perfect conservation, or in complete chaos—as well as the sublime potentiality of stored energy, like with the charged battery cell or the can of spray paint. This pursuit has led him to explore a variety of materials and technologies that are not always consistent with traditional art making."  (bobpartington.com)

You can see more of Bob Partington's incredible art and design on his website www.bobpartington.com and view his videos on his Youtube channel.

the best alley in Wicker Park vol. V

It's time once again for the monthly update of our Flicker set "the best alley in Wicker Park".  Bender, the robot street artist, has recently shown up in the alley along with an anti BP political statement and a huge rainbow trout.  All in all, it was an interesting month.

See the entire set on our Flickr.

Metamorphosized

Metamorphosized, originally uploaded by Poster Boy NYC.

Posterboy has a Flickr account. On his photostream you can see some of his most recent work, like the Kafka inspired Metamorphosized who's picture was just shot and uploaded today.  Like we needed a reason to be spending more time on Flickr...

Click the bug to go to Poster Boy NYC's photostream on Flickr.

why we continue to love Faile

With Faile Temple, the Brooklyn street art collective Faile have proven yet again why they are to be considered not just among the vanguard of the street art movement, but also the broader contemporary art world as well.  Similar to what they did for their Deluxx Fluxx Arcades last year, Faile have created a website for the Faile Temple project (which can be viewed here).  The site hosts all the pertinent information as well as fantastic photographs of the finished Temple.  This amazing piece of monumental sculpture is worth an in depth viewing.  If Mies Van Der Rohe was correct that god is in the details, then this is indeed a holy place.

View Faile Temple at www.failetemple.net.
Check out last year's Deluxx Fluxx Arcade at www.deluxxfluxx.com.
Keep an eye on Faile's website at www.faile.net.

our late summer reading list...

We are big time art book junkies.  We haven't purchased a book that didn't contain pictures in years. And we find ourselves monitoring upcoming releases with the kind of giddy anticipation usually reserved for small children and their birthdays.  With this in mind, we bring you two suggestions from recently published titles,  and two from the soon to arrive art books that we are holding our breath for.

Supreme (Introduction by Glenn Obrien, Preface by Aaron Bondaroff, Interview between James Jebbia ans KAWS) is the first monograph to explore the output of the legendary New York street fashion and skateboard company.  Equal parts punk rock and hip hop, fashion and skate, Supreme is a brand that defies classification.  The entire gamut of their productions are surveyed; from art decks by Hirst, Koons and Murakami to lids and t's to their notoriously pornographic calenders.  Check out Supreme's site and see more about this book from it's publisher Rizzoli.

Posterboy: The War of Art is the first book from Posterboy.  It documents his cut and paste subway work of the past few years that has earned him both acclaim and arrest.  For those who don't know, Posterboy uses a razor to cut pieces off the self adhesive posters that are used in the New York subway system.  He then recombines the pieces to create often hillarious new signage.  After being arrested for this, he has recently become an advocate for first ammendment rights.  Read about Posterboy and his legal troubles here and peep the flyer for his August 28th book signing event in New York, LA, Miami and London.

FAILE: Prints + Originals 1999- 2009 is a book we have been waiting on for quite some time.  It is a detailed retrospective of the Brooklyn based collective's fine art, put together by the Patricks.  Big and glossy and full of art we love, this one is sure to live on our coffee table.  The book will not be published in the US until September, but there are advance copies popping up on eBayUK for those who are so inclined.  Go to the archives on FAILE's website to get a taste of what's in store.

KAWS by Monica Ramirez-Montagut with Germano Celant is the first comprehensive survey of the body of work created by the multidisciplinary aritst KAWS.  From early graffiti and ad disruptions to toys to recent high concept gallery work, seventeen years in the world of KAWS is portrayed in vibrant color and and detail.  This title is due to be released in November 2010.  Until then, read more from the publisher Rizzoli and keep an eye on KAWS's site.

All titles are available through Amazon.

photo ops

Despite the heat, we've been taking a lot of photos lately and it seems that they are getting noticed. Our street art images have been featured recently by The Reader, Chicago Art Magazine, and Chicagoist, among others.

Check out our most recent set "land of shadows" when you peep our Flickr photostream.

EINE interview

Don't Panic has posted an engrossing interview with Ben Eine, the London graffiti artist who's painting Twenty First Century City was just given to President Obama by the British Prime Minister last month.  Hear this career vandal muse on topics such as: avoiding arrest, cutting stencils, and of course Banksy.

new work from BAST

One of our favorite street artists, Brooklyn's BAST, has released a small edition print through Papermonster. The piece is called Woman Ooze, and it features one of the new designs he created for the Deluxx Fluxx Arcade projects last year. The print is huge (34.5" x 48"), hand painted acrylic and screen printing on archival paper, from a signed edition of only 14, and, as of this writing is totally sold out.

Keep an eye on Bastny.com and papermonster.net for upcoming BAST print releases.

giving grades...