The Graffiti Art Movement
Volume 4 January/February 2017 www.artdictionmagazine.com
4 Public Art 14 When Art Meets Humanity
www.togetherwemade.com painttogetherinfo@gmail.com
ArtDiction Habitual. Art.
ArtDiction is a platform for artists to display their work and a resource for the habitual art lover.
Staff
Devika A. Strother, Editor-in-Chief devika@artdictionmagazine.com Phillip Utterback, Creative Director phillip@artdictionmagazine.com Isabella Chow, Writer/Editor bella@artdictionmagazine.com DeShanta Strother, Director of Editorial Partnerships deshanta@artdictionmagazine.com
Contributing Writers Nate Barkley, Jr. Linda Turner
Devika Akeise Publishing assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by authors in this publication. Š2017 of Devika Akeise Publishing. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. Submit art work to submission@artdictionmagazine.com. For advertising, please email advertising@artdictionmagazine.com.
artdiction_magazine
artdictionmag
FEATURES
4 Public Art See examples of portraits, murals, and graffit painted on rooftops, walls, sidewalks, and more all over the world.
14 When Art Meets Humanity Joel Artista travels the word to use his art as a teaching tool and positively impacts society.
24 The Graffiti Art Movement An art and subculture that has international appeal and has spread worldwide.
29 From the Creative Director The wrap-up by Phillip Utterback. Photo courtesy of Joel Artista. See more on page 13.
In Each Issue 3 small talk 9 news 10 bella’s books 11 music
12 29
exhibits artist index
Cover photo: Brad Pict.
©2017 by Devika Akeise Publishing
ArtDiction | 2 | January/February 2017
small talk
©Paul Hinderer
T
he new year is well underway. Although I consciously avoid (official) resolutions, preparing this first issue of ArtDiction for 2017 made me realize that I should be doing more. Not necessarily with the writing and producing of this publication (although we are always striving to get better), but in terms of how I peruse and use my passions. For example, I spoke with renowned graffiti artist Lady Pink (page 24) and revisited the rise of graffiti. Graffiti was birthed from kids who took risks to express themselves (although controversially). I’m an adult. Am I taking risks of my own to pursue the things most important to me? Joel Artista’s interview (page 14) also made me examine how I use my strengths and
passions. Joel combines his knowledge of Sociology and artistic gifts to facilitate and participate in social art projects to address issues including social conflict, violence, and social marginalization around the world. (Amazing!) How could that NOT make me want to do more? Of course, we can only do what our circumstances allow based on the time and talents we possess. But are we even coming close to reaching that mark? So, in an unofficial, non-resolution kind of way, let’s agree to do more—inspire others, teach, create. Get better, and do better. Take a risk. Take a leap—I’m sure we will discover it was well worth it when we hit the ground.
ArtDiction | 3 | January/February 2017
Public Art
by Phillip Utterback Communities have used art as a way of beautifying themselves since communities existed. The Greeks used statues; Europeans used cathedrals and churches; Americans, plonk art. That cave painting of the hunted animal that was just eaten: art. Public art has existed since civilizations realized that beautifying the city would increase people’s connection with the city. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, public art was used to connect the everyday person to art. During the 1970s, public art in America became used as a means of political and social statements. This social activism that was created in the 1970s has moved into the modern era, driving artists to create pieces that frequently make social statements. Stroll through San Francisco and the impact of public art on the city is evident; hundreds of political statements on buildings and public places. Belfast, Northern Ireland has used the sides of buildings to portray the past and present of Northern Ireland’s political climate since the 1970s, resulting in beautiful murals that show the climate of the time.1 Boston’s Holocaust memorial is six glass pillars illuminated from inside with a “memory of a survivor from the camp.”2 Artists worldwide have used their art to explore the context of what surrounds them. Mexican artist Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a mural at Rockefellar Center in New York City but was criticized and the painting was later removed for its depiction of Lenin. The piece was later recreated in Mexico City. But public art is not limited to political and social statements. In fact, most public art is simply a statement of art in its purest form. The Spire of Dublin, the tallest piece of public art at just shy of 400 feet, was designed with the redesign of the street--nothing political about it. Public art has become such a natural part of cityscapes that it is rare for cities to not have art pieces beautifying the high rises and buildings. Chicago has declared 2017 the “Year of Public Art” and is committed to placing art pieces in municipal buildings around the city. Public art has come a long way from cave paintings depicting hunts and kills. Public art has become a chance for all people to observe and take in the beauty of artists in places that are not expected. No longer is art limited to museums and commissioned cities, but it has become an adventure that can be explored in any city. Here are a few images of street around from around the world to get you started on your adventure. ____ 1. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/3b/e5/c5/3be5c54bdaa736b51463406dcf2eac5e. jpg. 2. http://www.raisingmiro.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Boston10.jpg.
ArtDiction | 4
| January/February 2017
Mid-levels Street Art by Matt Haslam. Hong Kong.
Colors and the City by Xavier Liard. Paris, France.
Colors and Lines by Burak Arik. Rome, Italy.
Walk Along, by Thai Hoa Pham. Melbourne, Australia.
news Kate Middleton Honored for Her Family Photos The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) has given an honorary lifetime membership to Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, for her family portraits and tour photographs. According to the BBC, Michael Pritchard, RPS’s chief executive, stated that the Middleton was chosen because of her “long-standing” interest in photography, praising her “talent and enthusiasm” with the camera. Although the Duchess said she pleased to receive the honor, the accolade has proven controversial among the British public. “I know so many people who struggle to get any recognition at all for their photography. What a joke,” said Alan McCredie via Twitter.
Middleton has regularly taken photographs before having children, but it seems that motherhood has brought Middleton’s photographic talent to the fore. The Duchess has a well-documented love for art, and she majored in art history at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, where she met Prince William. The first official photograph of Princess Charlotte when she was born in 2015 was taken by the Duchess. Additionally, she has released a number of family photos, including Prince George’s first day at nursery school and Princess Charlotte’s first birthday. “[Middleton] excels at photography in the only way most of us all ever can: by looking at what she loves,”
Arthur Edwards - Pool/Getty Images
said Jonathan Jones, art critic of the Guardian. RPS was founded in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London and changed its name in 1854 after receiving Royal patronage from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The RPS has, therefore, always had a close bond with the Royal Family.
Trump Planning Budget Cuts to Eliminate the NEA, NEH 2017 Frieze New York The Frieze New York art fair has revealed its 2017 exhibitor list. More than 190 galleries are participating at this year’s fair on May 5 on Randall’s Island. The fair will continue to host its Spotlight section, devoted to art historical movements since 1960, and will be curated by Toby Kamps, the Menil Collection’s curator of modern and contemporary art. Cecilia Alemani, High Line Art’s director and chief curator, will continue to oversee the Projects section, while the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of Chicago’s Jacob Proctor and Portikus’s Fabian Schöneich will lead the Frame section, which hosts work by emerging artists. For a full list of exhibitors, go to www.frieze.com/.
It has been reported that members of President Donald J. Trump’s team have been preparing dramatic budget cuts to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Hill reports that this would be part of a general trend under Trump’s administration, which is reportedly seeking to cut federal spending by about $10.5 trillion over the next ten years. This is not the first time a U.S. president threatened to eliminate the NEA in its entirety. In 1988, Livingston Biddle’s book Our Government and the Arts: A Perspective From the Inside revealed that Ronald Reagan also planned to do so in 1981, when he came into office; however, his plans never came to pass. Since 2009, under the Obama administration, the NEA’s budget has remained largely the same, around $146 million a year. The NEA currently occupies 0.28% of the federal budget. Over the years, Trump has been unsupportive of the NEA. In 1999, when Chris Ofili’s controversial painting The Holy Virgin Mary (1996), which features the Virgin Mary adorned with elephant dung, was on view at the Brooklyn Museum, Trump, like many conservatives, lashed out against the NEA, despite the fact that the organization had had nothing to do with the show. “As President, I would ensure that the National Endowment of the Arts stops funding of this sort,” he told the Daily News. Then, in 2013, when Trump picked up the lease for the NEA’s old headquarters to build a hotel, he forced the NEA to move. Trump has not made an official statement about his plans for the NEA. ArtDiction | 9 | January/February 2017
bella’s books The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America Erik Larson Crown Publishing Group, 2003
Her Nightly Embrace Adi Tantimedh Atria/Leopoldo & Co., 2016
A
s a big fan of diversity in entertainment, I was intrigued when I n December 2016, Martin received the promotional mateScorsese confirmed that a rial for the new novel by Adi script was in the works for Tantimedh. The main character the film adaptation of Erik of Her Nightly Embrace is Ravi Larson’s 2003 novel, The Devil Chandra Singh, a London-born in the White City: Murder, Indian man, a failed religious Magic, and Madness at the scholar, and former high school Fair That Changed America. I teacher turned private detective was troubled to see so many of working at Golden Sentinels, an the articles refer to only part of agency staffed with different the story told in the novel, characters from all over the namely the exploits of the globe. The book is only part of infamous series in a major multimedia serial killer release, including a correspondH.H. Holmes. ing podcast and a TV show starSince ring Sendhil Ramamurthy (forLeonardo merly of NBC’s show, Heroes). DiCaprio is With all the hype and a wellset to star as known TV star on the cover, I Holmes, it’s must admit, I went into the story likely that with somewhat higher expectamuch of tions than I would normally have movie will for what is essentially a novelcenter on his ized teleplay. Regrettably, this story. For me, however, the more turned out to be a mistake. I can interesting parts of The Devil in say without hesitation that the the White City were regarding book was one of the most disthe story that surrounded appointing I have read in some Holmes – the construction of the years. The writing is choppy, 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. brusque, and full of clichés, The story of the tenacity and with the supporting characters ingenuity needed by Daniel becoming parodied archetypes Burnham, the fair’s chief archi– the brilliant tect, and his associates to Asian hacker; complete the immense feat of the charming the fair’s construction, battling but deadly against great setbacks and a British masgrueling timetable, drew me in termind; the more than the alternating story perky American of Holmes’ sordid killing spree. If with a secret there is ever a book that you agenda – that want to read before you see the basically defeat movie, it would be this one. the purpose of diversity in the Larson’s novel turned me into an first place. I can’t say, based immediate fan, and the story is upon this book, that I have much immensely involving and enterhope for it, but I can only hope taining. Do yourself a favor and that the upcoming show does a get the full story the movie better job with the material. probably won’t tell you.
I
ArtDiction | 10 | January/February 2017
The Cutaway Christina Kovac Atria Books, 2017
I
make it a habit not to look up anything about an author before reading their book. Even without the advance knowledge, however, I could tell reading Christina Kovac’s upcoming novel, The Cutaway, that she had something to do with news journalism. In her story of a TV news producer chasing the truth behind the disappearance of a D.C. attorney, the elements that really pop are the glimpses behind the scenes of the nightly news; the work, the last-minute decisions, even the power struggles that shape the broadcasts. This makes sense, considering Kovac’s 17-year history working in local and national news broadcasts in the D.C. area. Unfortunately, though, the portions dealing directly with the work of the news are really the only portions of The Cutaway that draw you in. While Kovac tries to give her lead character, Virginia Knightly, some sort of depth with a sympathetic back story, it feels more like an afterthought than character development. The rest of the book’s characters feel even more two-dimensional, giving the book more of a tabloid feel than a serious literary effort. If you’re looking for something light to pop in your bag on the way to the beach, and like books set in D.C., this might be the story for you, but don’t look to this one for something of lasting impact.
Isabella Chow
music 11 Short Stоriеѕ оf Pаin & Glоrу Drорkiсk Murрhуѕ
Nо оnе еlѕе соmеѕ сlоѕе tо соmроѕitiоn оf
frоm thе flаѕh-in-thе-раn brilliаnсе оf itѕ mоѕt
thiѕ саliber, аnd Rеflесtiоn rеаffirmѕ juѕt hоw
bоggling trасkѕ.
On Aрril 15, 2013, twо рrеѕѕurе сооkеr bоmbѕ
ѕресiаl аnd nесеѕѕаrу a соmроѕеr Enо ѕtill iѕ.
wеnt оff during thе Bоѕtоn Mаrаthоn, killing
Frоm hiѕ ѕоlо wоrk аnd dеер bасk саtаlоguе tо
No Plan
thrее реорlе and wоunding оvеr 250 оthеrѕ. In
hiѕ соmроѕitiоnѕ fоr оrсhеѕtrаѕ, uѕе оf оbliquе
David Bowie
rеѕроnѕе tо thiѕ асt оf tеrrоriѕm, Bоѕtоn рullеd
ѕtrаtеgiеѕ, аnd rесеnt еxрlоrаtiоn intо gеnеrа-
Cоinсiding with whаt
tоgеthеr in ѕuсh a ѕtrоng wау; thеrе wаѕ аn
tivе muѕiс аnd арр dеѕign, Enо hаѕ соntinuеd
wоuld’vе bееn Bоwiе’ѕ
оutроuring оf ѕuрроrt fоr thе роliсе оffiсеrѕ,
tо соnѕiѕtеntlу рuѕh thе bоundаriеѕ аnd, in
70th birthdау, Nо
unоffiсiаl mеmоriаlѕ lеft аt thе ѕitе grеw ѕо
dоing, ѕо рrоduсеѕ оutѕtаnding ѕоundѕсареѕ
Plаn iѕ a briеf, уеt
big thеу hаd tо bе mоvеd, and thе сitу bаndеd
thаt оvеrtlу rеvеаl whу ѕо mаnу аrtiѕtѕ bоth
ѕаtiѕfуing соnсluѕiоn
tоgеthеr undеr ‘Bоѕtоn
раѕt аnd рrеѕеnt hаvе linеd uр tо соllаbоrаtе
tо thе rоllеrсоаѕtеr
Strоng’ in аn оutроuring
with him. Aѕ with mоѕt Enо rесоrdѕ, thеrе’ѕ nо
оf еmоtiоnѕ thаt
оf lоvе, саrе аnd hеlрing
раrtiсulаr соntеxt оr аdviѕаblе liѕtеning ѕрасе
liѕtеnеrѕ еxреriеnсеd
еасh оthеr. This is context
fоr hiѕ muѕiс. Whеthеr уоu’rе сrаmmеd оn thе
thrоughоut 2016 ассоmраniеd bу thе dirе
for Dropkick Murрhуѕ’
undеrgrоund аt thе реаk оf ѕummеr mаking
Blасkѕtаr. Cоmрriѕеd оf fоur trасkѕ, thrее оf
latest work. The band has
thе mаmmоth соmmutе асrоѕѕ tоwn, оr lуing in
whiсh wеrе рrеviоuѕlу inсludеd еxсluѕivеlу оn
аlwауѕ bееn intrinѕiсаllу tiеd tо Bоѕtоn, аnd
ѕоlitudе оn a ѕun-kiѕѕеd bеасh, уоu’rе inѕtаntlу
thе Lаzаruѕ саѕt rесоrding (thе fоurth bеing
11 Shоrt Stоriеѕ оf Pаin аnd Glоrу iѕ thеir firѕt
trаnѕроrtеd tо a nеw wоrld in аn аlmоѕt mеditа-
”Lаzаruѕ”, аlѕо раrt оf thе рlау), Nо Plаn iѕ
аlbum rеlеаѕеd ѕinсе thе Boston Mаrаthоn
tivе ѕtаtе. In a rесеnt intеrviеw, Enо himѕеlf
thеѕе ѕоngѕ’ оffiсiаl induсtiоn intо thе Bоwiе
bоmbingѕ. Aѕ ѕuсh, thеrе’ѕ аlmоѕt a burdеn
соnfirmеd, “Rеflесtiоn iѕ ѕо саllеd bесаuѕе I
саnоn – thе соdа tо a 50-year рluѕ саrееr;
оf еxресtаtiоn оn thеir ѕhоuldеrѕ, whiсh thе
find it mаkеѕ mе think bасk. It mаkеѕ mе think
thе сurtаin саll if уоu muѕt. Stаrting thingѕ оff
Drорkiсk Murрhуѕ nаvigаtе with сlаѕѕ, rеѕtrаint,
thingѕ оvеr. It ѕееmѕ tо сrеаtе a рѕусhоlоgiсаl
with lаѕt уеаr’ѕ ”Lаzаruѕ” iѕ mаrkеdlу bоth a
аnd еаѕе. 11 Shоrt Stоriеѕ оf Pаin аnd Glоrу iѕ
ѕрасе thаt еnсоurаgеѕ intеrnаl соnvеrѕаtiоn.”
wеll-рlасеd intrоduсtiоn, but a quеѕtiоnаblе
vеrу muсh a Drорkiсk Murрhуѕ аlbum. It rеѕtѕ
inсluѕiоn аѕ wеll. Thе trасk’ѕ ѕignifiсаnсе tо thе рlау оf thе ѕаmе nаmе, аѕ wеll аѕ thе аlbum
bе аѕѕосiаtеd with thеm: lоud, рunсhу rосk аnd
Twо Zеrо One Sеvеn Chiеf Kееf
rоll with Cеltiс influеnсе, mixing bаgрiреѕ with
Thiѕ release, in аdditiоn tо hiѕ реrѕiѕtеntlу
quitе a bit оf ѕhinе аwау frоm thе nеw ѕоngѕ
bаѕѕ guitаr. Thеу аrеn’t аfrаid tо bе lоud, bе
сrеаtivе bеаt wоrk, lеаdѕ tо an unсоnvеntiоnаl
thаt fоllоw it uр. Thе firѕt оf thе nеw triо оf
оbnоxiоuѕ, оr have fun. Thеѕе аrе ѕоngѕ tо bе
tаре thаt ѕuссееdѕ whеn Kееf iѕ аt hiѕ mоѕt
Bоwiе’ѕ finаl works Nо Plаn ѕеtѕ Bоwiе in a
ѕung аlоng with, оut оf kеу, аѕ уоu gо frоm bаr
uninhibitеd. Lооk аt “Knосk It Off,” whiсh iѕ
роѕitiоn thаt уеаrnѕ fоr ѕоmеthing nоt quitе
tо bаr оn a рub сrаwl. The album’s firѕt ѕоng,
built аrоund whаt ѕоundѕ likе a рunkеr, lеѕѕ
thеrе, a ѕоng thаt imрlеmеntѕ thе Thоmаѕ
“Thе Lоnеѕоmе Bоаtmаn,” is a wоrdlеѕѕ, еаѕilу
роliѕhеd Lоndоn On Dа Trасk рiаnо linе, аnd
Nеwtоn сhаrасtеr аnd hiѕ nеvеr еnding iѕоlаtiоn
ѕingаblе рѕеudо-fооtbаll сhаnt ассоmраniеd
hаѕ Kееf in аn аudасiоuѕ еnоugh mооd tо
in thе Lаzаruѕ рlау. Thеrе’ѕ аn аir оf rеѕignаtiоn
bу рulѕing guitаrѕ аnd рiеrсing рiреѕ. Thiѕ iѕ a
ѕоmеhоw rhуmе “bаgѕ оf mоnеу” with “Lеd
in Bоwiе’ѕ ѕtrаinеd vосаl, but in соnѕidеrаtiоn tо
ѕоng уоu jumр uр аnd dоwn tо whilе trуing nоt
Zерреlin.” Nо оnе ѕhоuld bе аblе tо рull thiѕ
thе fасt hе didn’t knоw оf hiѕ fаtе аt thе timе оf
tо spill уоur bееr. Thеrе’ѕ nоt muсh nеw brоught
оff, but with Kееf’ѕ
rесоrding, it оwеѕ a lоt tо thе оvеrаll mооd thаt
tо thе tаblе muѕiсаllу, but аѕ 11 Shоrt Stоriеѕ
еxреriеnсе, hе’ѕ
thе Dоnnу MсCаѕlin bаnd brоught tо thе muѕiс.
iѕ thе bаnd’ѕ ninth аlbum, thаt саn bе fоrgivеn.
аblе tо mаkе gоld
”Killing A Littlе Timе” оn thе other hаnd, sounds
Thеу’vе ѕреnt рlеntу оf time реrfесting thеir
оut of сhоiсеѕ thаt
dеѕреrаtе аѕ Bоwiе mаnаgеѕ tо gаѕр оut “I’m
ѕоund, аnd if it аin’t brоkе, dоn’t fix it.
соuld bе deemed
fаlling, mаn/I’m choking, mаn/I’m fаding, mаn”
аmаtеuriѕh in оthеrѕ’
аmidѕt thе frаntiс inѕtrumеntаtiоn thаt аdd
hаndѕ. Hiѕ bеаtѕ аrе
tо Bоwiе’ѕ inсrеаѕinglу dеѕраirеd ѕinging.
оftеn саrtооniѕh аnd
Thе finаl ѕоng ”Whеn I Mеt Yоu” еѕсhеwѕ
соmfоrtаblу in thе muѕiсаl ѕtуlе thаt’ѕ соmе tо
Reflection Briаn Enо
it wаѕ оn, iѕ ѕtill immеаѕurаblе аlthоugh tаkеѕ
A mаn whо соllаbоrаtеd with nеаrlу еvеrу
unроliѕhеd, аnd hе nеvеr ѕееmѕ tоо рrасtiсеd
thе mеlаnсhоlу оf ”Nо Plаn” аnd thе dеѕраir
ѕuреrѕtаr оf thе 1970’ѕ аnd bеуоnd, Enо
оn thе mic, but thе ѕраrk оf frееѕtуlеd сrеа-
оf ”Killing A Littlе Timе” in fаvоr оf рlаin аnd
hаѕ rеѕurfасеd in 2017 with аn аbѕоlutеlу
tivitу iѕ thеrе, аѕ аrе thе flоwѕ. Frоm a рurеlу
ѕimрlе саthаrѕiѕ in a fоur minutе rосk ѕоng
bеаutiful LP tо blоw thе соbwеbѕ wеll аnd
flоw-оriеntеd реrѕресtivе, Twо Zеrо Onе Sеvеn
thаt wоuld bе in fаvоrаblе соmраnу аmоng
trulу аwау. A fоllоw uр tо thе еthеrеаl Thе Shiр
might bе Kееf’ѕ bеѕt wоrk уеt. Hе buildѕ оn
Thе Nеxt Dау’ѕ mаtеriаl. Anу hint оf whаt wаѕ
(2016), Rеflесtiоn iѕ riсh with аn аbundаnсе оf
саdеnсеѕ thаt аt firѕt ѕееm mоnоtоnоuѕ, but
tо соmе iѕ аll but diѕtаnt in thе wау thаt Bоwiе
еlесtrоniсаllу gеnеrаtеd inѕtrumеntѕ аnd muѕiс
thеn еxрlоdе bу thе еnd оf vеrѕеѕ tо hit уоu
hаndlеѕ hiѕ vосаl, fоr hе hаѕ nеvеr ѕоundеd
thаt’ѕ full оf tоnе соlоur аnd ѕhimmеrѕ bliѕѕfullу
with рriѕtinе bаrbѕ. Nоt еvеrу idеа iѕ еаrth-
mоrе аlivе thаn оn thiѕ ѕоng itѕеlf. N о Plаn i ѕ
with diаtоniс hаrmоniеѕ ѕраnning 54 minutеѕ.
ѕhаttеring, nоt еvеrу Lugеr bеаt ѕоundѕ likе
rеmаrkаblу briеf, but in itѕ еightееn minutеѕ
It сеrtаinlу iѕ a wеlсоmе rеturn аnd саuѕе fоr a
it should have ѕurvivеd past 2012, nоt еvеrу
mаnаgеѕ tо сеlеbrаtе thе mаn thаt wаѕ Dаvid
ѕigh оf rеliеf frоm thоѕе оf uѕ whо wеrе wаiting
hооk glidеѕ with thе еаѕе оf Kееf’ѕ bеѕt. At 17
Bоwiе, аѕ wеll аѕ givе fаnѕ ѕоmеthing mоrе tо
fоr thе nеxt bit оf hеаrtwrеnсhing nеwѕ tо drор.
trасkѕ аnd аn hоur оf runtimе, Twо Zеrо Onе
rеmеmbеr him аnd hiѕ muѕiс.
Hе iѕ doubltess thе fаthеr оf аmbiеnt muѕiс.
Sеvеn has its fillеrs, and bу thе еnd, dеtrасt
Linda Turner ArtDiction | 11 | January/February 2016
exhibits Hale Woodruff’s Talladega Murals Atlanta-based artist Hale Woodruff (American, 1900– 1980) accepted a commission to paint a series of murals for Talladega College, Alabama in 1983. The murals portray specific events in the rise of Black Americans from slavery to freedom. One of Woodruff’s series portrays scenes from the uprising on the Amistad ship in 1839. Although he painted
The Mutiny on the Amistad, 1939. Oil on canvas. © Talladega College. Photo: Peter Harholdt
the murals for students and faculty of the college, Woodruff intended their impact to reach beyond Talladega’s campus. The murals attracted national attention. Cultural leaders have adopted the project as a statement of pride and hope for racial equality. Five of the six murals will be installed in the Anne Cox Chambers Wing of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA. The sixth mural will be included in High’s exhibition Cross Country: The Power of Place in American Art, 1915– 1950 (February 12–May 7, 2017). For more information, go to www.high.org.
Hammer Projects: Simon Denny Berlin-based artist Simon Denny will have his art on display at Hammer Museum in Los Angeles beginning January 21. He will feature a recent project on the potential applications of
blockchain technology. Denny’s research-based projects offer insight into the conditions of exchange and the production of knowledge in the digital world. Denny’s sculptural installations often approximate the visual language, style, and forms that are integral to the Internet and the culture that surrounds it, using a process that renders the immaterial flow of information into visible and tangible objects. During the exhibit, Denny presents a project based on the possibilities of blockchain—a technology that underlies the cryptocurrency bitcoin— and its potential applications in
Simon Denny with Linda Kantchev, Blockchain company postage stamp designs: Ethereum, 2016 Custom-designed postage stamps. Image courtesy of the artist. Photo: Nick Ash.
the future. Additionally, Denny’s installation adopts the presentational mode of trade-fair information booths to convey the ethos and tenor of each vision for the future of blockchain. Obtain more information at www.hammer.ucla.edu.
Seeing Nature Seeing Nature features 39 historically significant European and American landscape paintings from the past four hundred years, allowing visitors to see the art depicting the natural world through the eyes of
View in Venice-The Grand Canal, 1874, Édouard Manet, French, 1832-1883, oil on canvas, 22 9/16 x 18 3/4 in., Paul G. Allen Family Collection.
artists. The exhibition begins with Jan Brueghel the Younger’s allegorical series of the five senses. These highly detailed paintings provide a platform for visitors to consider their own experience with the world through sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. The next section of the exhibition shows the power of landscape to locate the viewer in time and place—to record, explore, and understand the natural and man-made world. This collection features a group of evocative Venetian scenes by Canaletto, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and J.M.W. Turner, among others. The exhibition also features a rare landscape masterpiece by the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, Birch Forest of 1903. The last section of the exhibition explores the paintings of European and American artists working in the complexity of the 20th century. Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection is co-organized by Portland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum and the Paul G. Allen Family Collection. Visit www.seattleartmuseum.org for further details.
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Call for Artists!
Become a featured artist in ArtDiction by submitting artwork to submission@artdictionmagazine. To request additional details, send an email to info@artdictionmagazine.com.
When Art Meets Humanity JtypeoelofArtista (Joel Bergner) is the artist whose work and
passion for what he does motivates you to reassess your view of art and its power to influence and educate. He is the co-founder and director of Artolution, a community-based public art organization founded in participatory and collaborative art making. The organization empowers artists, youth and communities to be agents of positive social change, explore critical societal issues, and create opportunities for constructive dialogue. Joel has also facilitated community mural projects in Syrian refugee camps in the Middle East, juvenile detention centers in the U.S. and the shantytowns of Kenya, India and Brazil. We interviewed Joel and learned more about his projects and organization.
When and how did you become involved in community-based public art initiatives? For many years, I was involved in community work, including working with the mentally ill, the homeless, and as a counselor with teenagers in a treatment center. At the same time, I was always involved in art and particularly gravitated toward murals and other urban art styles. Over time, I began experimenting with bringing these two passions together and realized how affective collaborative art can be as a tool for healing and human connection. During these past 8 years, I’ve been developing my approach to community-based public art in partnership with dozens of community organizations, schools, government agencies, companies, humanitarian NGOs and more.
How did Artolution come about? As I facilitated mural arts programming with youth in various hard-hit communities around the world, such as Syrian refugee camps, juvenile detention centers, and slum communities, one frustration kept coming up
Joel and Max of Artolution.
for me: I would meet incredible local knowledge and fundamental skills artists and educators who could have that I didn’t even realize for a long continued the projects once I left, time, so I’ve had to make up for that but there was no structure or funding over the years, something I feel like for this to be possible. I realized that I’m still doing. for this work to be more impactful, I would need to find a way to make it sustainable for local communities, which is something I couldn’t do alone. I needed a team. I began working with artist Max Frieder, who I now co-direct Artolution with, several years back, and I realized that we had the same vision for the direction of this work. Together, we led many reconciliation projects with Palestinian and Israeli young people in the Middle East, and began developing the concept of the organization from there. We were blessed Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan, 2013. This with some incredible piece was created in collaboration with Syrian refugee board members who children, and explores the importance of water conserhave expertise in critical vation, especially for those who suddenly find themareas that Max and I selves stranded in a desert. Collab with the organizaknow nothing about, and tions AptART and ACTED. together we created the
“I realized that for this work to be more impactful, I would need to find a way to make it sustainable for local communities, which is something I couldn’t do alone.” building blocks of Artolution as a nonprofit over the past couple years.
How do you determine which social projects to collaborate with?
Did you study art as you pursued your BA in Sociology or was your art something your continued to develop and pursue on your own?
There is the need for these artsbased social projects all over the place, and I can’t work everywhere, so I choose my projects based on whether or not I think the project will be impactful and successful for the local community. And the number one determining factor for this is the quality of the local partners. Are they organized? Are they dependable? Do we have shared values and shared objectives? The answers to these questions are crucial to our success. Our projects feature an array of partners, from schools or community centers who help organize the youth
I took a few art classes here and there over the years, but was never formally trained in art. There were some positive results of this, like having a sense of freedom in my art, where some classically-trained artists I’ve spoken with feel boxed in by the rules they have learned. However, there were also some negative results, like big holes in my
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participants, to funding institutions, to those who have space for workshops and walls we can paint, to the local artists and educators who co-facilitate the projects with us. This is a group effort and we all fail or suc-
The social impact comes only partially from the resulting artwork; more important is the process of creating it. Our workshops and art-making sessions have several goals. One is to
“Teenagers learned about issues relating to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and then spread important messages to their neighbors through murals and musical performances.� ceed together. For example, a recent project in Krakow, Poland featured a partnership with local group homes and the Park Inn Hotel. The teenagers, all of whom had been taken from their families and were in very difficult situations, connected with the hotel staff during the project and expressed their dreams for a brighter future. The hotel manager was then able to give internships to the teens based on their interests, including positions with the restaurant chef, the IT manager, the marketing specialist and more. I was so excited to see this kind of real, life-changing impact resulting from the project, and this reflects these amazing and generous partners.
What type of social impact would you like to see your art have?
create positive connections between youth who have experienced trauma
opportunity to address important issues in their community and envision what they want their future to look like. They explore what it means to live in peace, to have healthy relationships and healthy families, and to build institutions that work for everyone. Whatever topics are relevant to their lives, from gender equality to ethnic conflict to drug addiction, can be tackled and discussed in productive ways using this model. By advocating for social change, participants began to see themselves as agents of change instead of just victims of their circumstances, which has a huge impact on their self-image.
With all of the traveling that you’ve done, is there one particular place/project that has special meaning? If so, why? A mural created for the Kibera Walls for Peace community art initiative in Nairobi, Kenya.
and marginalization and the positive adult role models in their community, as well as with their peers. This creates an environment in which they can feel comfortable opening up about their experiences. Also, through the mural-making they have the
Each project in every place I go, no matter how challenging the experience, always ends up feeling special and unique because of the bonds formed during the project. I loved my time in Brazil and Cuba because not only did I love the cultures in these places, I went back repeatedly and therefore had more time to develop stronger connections with people who I worked with and with the kids in the projects there. My work with the Kibera Hamlet youth
Community mural project in Krakow, Poland.
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organization in Nairobi, Kenya was an incredible experience for me and felt especially timely and important, as we worked with locals to advocate for peace and ethnic harmony during the run-up to the 2013 presidential election, which everyone was nervous about because the previous election had erupted in riots and wide-spread killings. I felt that the whole community was supporting our work and that it really mattered to people’s lives. I also loved the people I worked with in the Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan, where I was deeply affected by the tragedy that was unfolding in their lives and also inspired by their resilience, humor and hospitality.
In what ways do you use art to educate? Community-based public art is a powerful tool because young people
can not only be educated but also educate others in their community. In Mozambique, for example, teenagers learned about issues relating to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and then spread important messages to their neighbors through murals and musical performances. This gives them a sense of responsibility and a role of educator that traditional education models don’t often achieve. During my projects, I make sure that each day we explore new themes to keep things interesting. In a recent project in Jo’burg, South Africa, kids at an orphanage created portraits of supportive and influential people in their lives in one section of the mural. For another activity, they wrote their dreams for the future, their superpower, or special talent in clouds. A third section featured visions of their future homes and
Baltimore, Maryland, 2012: Mural for Montego Bay restaurant.
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communities, like a public vision board that they could use as inspiration. They also addressed xenophobia by representing the many cultures that made up their society in the hair of the main character. Each day, I’m thinking about what we can discuss and explore together in order for the participants to discover something new about themselves and their community. Visit www.joelartista.com to learn more about Joel’s community and global art projects.
Queens, NY, 2016: Joel’s solo section of a community youth mural project in partnership with the Department of Transportation and St. Gregory School.
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Joel Artista
Siliguri, India, 2016: This collaboration with 4 local Bengali artists (Anindya, Saptarshi, Santanu and Binod) was created for the International Anti-Human Trafficking Conclave. It aims to raise awareness for this issue, also known as modern day slavery, which is at epidemic levels in this region. Organized with Shakti Vahini, Meridian International Center and the U.S .Consulate in Kolkata.
Joel Artista
Queens, New York, 2016: Collab with Chris Soria and Marc Evan for the Welling Court Mural Festival.
Joel Artista
São Paulo, Brazil ,2013: Joel’s contribution to an “outdoor gallery” in a favela in the São Mateus neighborhood, organized by the graffiti crew OPNI.
Joel Artista
Jerusalem 2015: Palestinian and Israeli youth worked with Joel Bergner and Max Frieder to design and fabricate this mural at the Hand in Hand school. It depicts the journey from a painful separation of people in conflict coming together in the spirit of common humanity. The mural was then installed at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem.
The Graffiti
Art Movement By Devika Strother
I can vividly remember a trip to the movie theater to watch Beat Street, a movie that told the story of hip hop culture. I was most excited to listen and watch deejays spinning and b-boys dancing. By the end of the film, I was just as enthralled with the art, graffiti, and the character Ramon (Ramo) as the music and dancing. The club walls where dance battles were held were filled with graffiti and tags were painted on the backs of jean jackets. But that was in 1984. Graffiti had hit its stride by then. I didn’t know modern graffiti had already been around for more than a decade.
The Graffiti Art Movement The Beginning Graffiti in its earliest forms date back as far as 30,000 years ago. Prehistoric cave paintings, pictographs, and illustrations of animal wildlife and hunting expeditions were in existence long before the graffiti that we know today. Gang graffiti can be traced back to the 1930s in Los Angeles. But in general, graffiti art began to rise between the years of 1971 and 1975. The first modern graffiti writer is widely considered to be Philadelphia high school student, CORNBREAD (Darryl McCray), who began tagging Philly walls in 1967. In 1971, a Philadelphia newspaper incorrectly identified a young man that was killed as McCray. To prove that he was still alive, Cornbread reportedly began tagging everywhere, including tagging “Cornbread Lives” on an elephant at the Philadelphia zoo. Soon after Cornbread started graffiti, writers and taggers emerged in Manhattan giving birth to its own writers.A kid from Washington Heights used “TAKI 183” as his alias. TAKI was the nickname of a kid named Demetrius, and the 183 represent the street number where he lived. TAKI frequently rode the subway as a foot
CORNBREAD circa 1968.
messenger and used that time for his writing.
Photo: Sean Pavone.
The Adventure What’s most notable is that this art movement was started by kids. Renowned artist Lady Pink, known for her significant contributions to the graffiti art movement and beyond, recalls falling in love with the adventure of graffiti art. “Graffiti created
Pink. “You couldn’t just walk into anyone’s train yard; they would have something to say. You had to know people and gain respect by doing quality to work.” Part of the adventure included the training. This was a master-apprentice subculture. The
“You had to know people and gain respect by doing quality work.” the sense of the things that are important to kids: being down with the popular crowd, being cool, having kicks and giggles; it wasn’t an artistic expression nearly as much as just kids having fun,” she says. It required a certain type of kid and personality type as to sneak into train yards, climb or go through a barbed-wire fence, reach the top of a roof or elevated railroad to create art. Most graffiti had to be done fast and in the dark. Location was another important factor. “People also get territorial so you have to know the right people to go places,” explains Lady ArtDiction | 26 | January/February 2017
more experienced artist would groom the rising artist, teaching techniques like style, how to use spray paint, and sketch. The boot camp education graffiti artists received contributed to the longevity of the art. Most artists only tagged for three to five years. Teenagers grow into young adults, have children, realizing that a change in circumstances elevates the risks associated with tagging.
Commercial Success What started as a simple signature on sides of subway cars morphed into elaborate, intricate murals stretching the
length of neighborhood walls, and breathtaking paintings on canvases. The art world took notice. “There were books, documentaries, films, exhibits, and a whirlwind of activity in the
access to museums and galleries. Because of this, there are mixed feelings when it comes to graffiti being mounted, framed and finding its way to gallery walls.
By definition, graffiti is illegal art in a public place; art without permission. early 80s,” explains Lady Pink. Futura 2000, Keith Haring, Jean Michele Basquiat and Fab 5 Freddy were a few of the artists that helped shine light on the New York graffiti art scene. Fab was one of the first graffiti artist to exhibit his art internationally. He also produced, starred in, and composed all the original music for Wild Style, a movie that is acknowledged as the first film that depicts the hiphop and features graffiti artists, George “LEE” Quiñones and Lady Pink. Not every writer’s goals is to have their work displayed in a gallery, however. After all, graffiti, for the most part,was just a means of expression, and many young graffiti artists starting out don’t have an interest or even
“It’s like going to the zoo,” says Lady Pink. “It’s a bad thing that these animals are caged. But it’s a good thing that people in big cities can actually see these things for themselves and inspire children everywhere.”
Politics By definition, graffiti is illegal art in a public place; art without permission, causing a negative stigma to be attched to it. Since the early 1980s, many cities, particularly New York City, have established laws in an attempt to eliminate and remove graffiti, even regulating the sale of spray paint. For example, in 1995, New York City mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, set up the Anti-Graffiti Task
Wild Style movie poster.
Force, a multi-agency initiative to combat the perceived problem of graffiti vandals in New York City. Additionally, Title 10–117 of the New York Administrative Code banned the sale of aerosol spray-paint cans to children under 18 and required merchants to
Photo: Steffano T.
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The Graffiti Art Movement lock spray paint it in a case or display the cans behind a counter. Some may applaud these anti-graffiti efforts, as they perceive it to be a crime of nuisance or a visual cue of crime and disorder. However, an overly ambitious, misguided anti-graffiti campaign is ultimately a nuisance (at best) to artists who have broken no laws.
Photo: Brad Pict.
Lady Pink has done, legal, commission-based artwork for years. She established her mural company, PinkSmith Designs, in 1994. “We still have the vandal squad, the graffiti police, at our door. They pulled two raids in ten years,” she says. “They pull up with a flimsy warrant and a van and take all my stuff. The first raid was in 2003, but no crime was committed.” There was an open investigation for a year and half, but since no charges were filed, the police returned her items. Lady Pink survived another raid in 2013 where police took almost 1,000 cans of spray paint, her computers with her business contacts, photos, published books, artwork from her walls. This last fishing attempt led to nothing, again resulting in bogus
Photo: Evolution Triptych.
charges being dropped and a return of 95% of Lady Pink’s possession. (They return only what they want.) Lady Pink and her husband (fellow graffiti legend SMITH) decided to move out of the city where the vandal squad doesn’t have jurisdiction. Lady Pink hosts workshops for children as young as 8
visibility and relatability are a large part of the appeal. “We are the biggest and longest lasting art movement that the world has ever seen because it is for the masses by the masses,” asserts Lady Pink. “Art had become very elitist, for the one percent, for the cultured few, and I think that people have risen up and said ‘We can do that.
“They pull up with a flimsy warrant and a van and take all my stuf...but no crimes were commited.” years old up to college level age. It’s some of the work she’s most proud of. “I do murals with the same schools over and over again and watch these kids grow up and help them build portfolios and earn community service credits, which all goes towards scholarships. “That is one of my biggest accomplishments–getting these kids full scholarships to NYU, Parsons, and other Visual Arts schools.”
Conclusion No other art movement in American history has lasted as long as graffiti art. It’s
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We don’t have to go to school for ten years and come home with a Master’s degree to be a certified artist.’” Graffiti, public and street, art, and murals will continue to morph, finding its way in and out of galleries, museums, and homes. Wherever graffiti lands, we will be watching closely.
Special thanks to Lady Pink for her interview, honesty, and insight.
artist index
8
14
10
www.burakarik.com
www.joelartista.com www.artolution.org
www.thaiphamphotography.com
Burak Arik
Joel Artista
7
9
www.xldphotography.com
www.matthaslamphotography.com
Xavier Liard
Matt Haslam
from the creative director It’s hard to believe that we released our first issue half a year ago and that we’re now entering a new year. Fortunately, we’ve just started exploring art around the world that inspires us. As we continue to discover new art, like the graffiti artists we got to talk to for this issue, we hope you’ll stay with us and learn about new artists and new ways of seeing the world. Lucky for us, art is always changing and evolving and always giving us new artists to celebrate. Trust us, we’re just getting started.
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Thai Hoam