Habitual. Art. Art.
Graffiti, Spray Paint and Murals
Volume 24 May/June 2020 www.artdictionmagazine.com
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ArtDiction is a platform for artists to display their work and a resource for the habitual art lover.
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Devika A. Strother, Editor-in-Chief devika@artdictionmagazine.com Isabella Chow, Associate Editor bella@artdictionmagazine.com Phillip Utterback, Staff Writer phillip@artdictionmagazine.com David Frankel, Senior Account Executive dfrankel@webtv.net
Contributing Writers D.E. Bradley Alex Pisalo Linda Turner
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FEATURES 16 Tattoos and ‘Baby’ Drawings
Evaldas Gulbinas grew up in a small Lithuanian city sur rounded by all mediums art. This became the influence for many of his designs as a professional tattoo artist.
28 The Punk Art Movement
Here we discuss the cultural movement that found its way into fashion, music, creative writing, and visual artworks.
32 Graffiti’s Visual Poet
Renowned streetartist ELLE discusses her path to streetart, her inspirations and most memorable pieces.
44 Murals, Graffiti and Street Art During Times of Protest
Read how movements and protests often use murals and imagery as tools to bring attention to various causes.
46 A Creative Vessel
Tré Koch is a visual artist that uses a deep connection within himself and with nature he sees around him to create unique images, including some that are reminiscent of the punk art movement.
Cover photo courtesy of ELLE.
In Each Issue 5 small talk 6 news 8 books 10 music 13 exhibits 54 artist & ad index Photo courtesy of Tré Koch.
©2020 by Devika Akeise Publishing
ArtDiction | 4| May/June 2020
small talk
Omer Messinger / Sipa / AP
A
rt has always had its unique way of documenting events in history. Especially is this true during times of political unrest, social injustices and racial inequalities. It’s hard to ignore a larger than life mural of the face of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. You’ll take pause at the spray-painted image of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old AfricanAmerican emergency room technician, who was shot at least eight times and killed in her own home by police officers in Louisville. If you see creative images of Ahmaud Arbery, you’ll ask: "How, in the year 2020, can a 25-year-old black man be pursued, shot and killed by armed white residents while he jogs in his own neighborhood in South Georgia?" That is the power of art. As planned since the beginning of the year, murals, graffiti and punk art is the focus of this issue. However, as a publication that examines how art fits into a social and cultural context, we have included a discussion on the roles of murals, graffiti, and street art—for
better or worse—in times of protest. We also interview ELLE who began her career as an illegal street artist in New York but now creates murals all around the world. Closely aligned with this topic is the subculture of Punk art. We examine its history and infiltration into mainstream society. We also interview visual artist Tré Koch who has an aesthetic that includes traces of the Punk culture, along with tattoo artist Evaldas Gulbinas whose work was inspired by the sights of his Lithuanian city. As art serves as a time capsule of sorts in the midst of the chaos that comes along with 2020, I hope we can use it as a benchmark for changes to come— that images of slain people of color will not fill the walls of cities around the world. But instead, art will be used to document the celebrations and high points in life, for which I believe it was intended. Until then, stay safe. Pursue peace.
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news D.C. Mayor Commissions Mural Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., commissioned eight artists to paint a mural of fiftyfoot-high letters spelling out “Black Lives Matter”. The project spans two blocks of 16th Street, a central axis that leads southward straight to the White House. All 16 bold yellow letters span the width of the two-lane street, making it easy to spot by aerial cameras and virtually anyone within a few blocks. The Washington, D.C., chapter of Black Lives Matter condemned the mural project and stated: “This is a performative distraction from real policy changes. Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history. This is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands. Black Lives Matter means defund the police.” The mural has inspired other artists, community activists, and local officials across the nation who are looking for ways to express themselves in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Similar murals have been painted in big public spaces in Raleigh, N.C. and Oakland, Calif.” Mary Bauermeister Awarded Germany’s Highest Honor Mary Bauermeister has been awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a German individual. The award is in recognition of achievements in the political, economic, humanitarian, and cultural realms. Bauermeister’s practices span drawing, installation, sculpture,
A team of eight artists and a band of ad-hoc volunteers joined to create the Black Lives Matter street mural in Washington, D.C.Photograph by Khalid Naji-Allah / Executive Office of the Mayor / AP.
and music. Specifically, she was selected for her significant contributions to Germany’s postwar art scene. “Her work as a determining and sustainable initiator in the art world and her great commitment to young artists deserve special recognition,” said NordrheinWestfalen’s Minister of Culture and Science, Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen in a statement. Previous recipients in the cultural field include Anselm Kiefer, Josef Albers, and Wolfgang Tillmans. David Kordansky Gallery Takes on Deana Lawson David Kordansky Gallery basd in Los Angeles has taken on photographer Deana Lawson. Lawson will continue to be represented by her New York gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Co., and Fox will be co-represented with Canada gallery in New York. New York-based Lawson creates portraits of Black people who look directly at the camera without the hint of a flinch. Her subjects are people she meets while walking around the streets of the various countries she’s visited, including the Democratic Republic of the ArtDiction | 6| May/June 2020
Congo, Haiti, Jamaica, and Ghana, as well as the United States. Although Lawson’s images include a layer of fiction they offer a level of intimacy that makes them feel real. Gallerist David Kordansky said that it was Lawson’s 2018 exhibition at L.A.’s Underground Museum that brought to light the breadth of her photography. “Lawson constantly reorients the viewer: seemingly straightforward documentation of the Black experience gives way to constructions and abstractions— of Blackness as a global idea,” Kordansky said in an email. “It’s no surprise the brilliance and importance of her work is rapidly being recognized. Deana is depicting Black lives and Black spaces—not only domestic arrangements, but also psychology, spirituality, and the cosmos.” Lawson is currently the subject of a major solo show at the Kunsthalle Basel in Switzerland. The exhibition was curated by the institution’s director Elena Filipovic and co-produced with with the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo as part of the 2020 Bienal de São Paulo, in which Lawson is a participant. Featuring photographs taken in Salvador, in
Brazil’s Bahia state, that are part of a new commission, the exhibition was originally set to open in March and then to travel to Brazil in July, but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Brazilian presentation will now be incorporated into the main biennial exhibition. Venice Biennale Pushed Back to 2022 The Venice Biennale is pushing the 59th international art exhibition to 2022 in order to accommodate the delayed 17th international architecture exhibition, “How Will We Live Together?,” which was originally scheduled to open this month. Therefore, the next Venice Biennale art exhibition will coincide with the next documenta, held every five years in Kassel, Germany and due to open in the summer of 2022. The Lyon Biennale has also rescheduled for 2022. Biennale initially announced in March that it would push the architecture exhibition’s opening from May 23 to August 29, but keep the original closing date of November 29. Rescheduling was necessary due to “the persistence of a series of objective difficulties due to the ongoing international health emergency,” wrote the biennale in their announcement of the postponement. “I am deeply moved by the perseverance of all the participants during the last three months,” architecture biennale curator Hashim Sarkis said in a statement. “I hope that the new opening date will allow them first to catch their breath, and then to complete their work with the time and vigor it truly deserves. We did not plan it this way. Neither the question I asked ‘how will we live together?’
The Arsenale, venue for the Venice Biennale. Photo by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
nor the wealth of ways in response to it, were meant to address the crisis they are living, but here we are.” “In the past few weeks it has become apparent that holding the Architecture Biennale this year would have dramatically compromised the event, leaving countless of nations without the representations of their pavilions and preventing hundreds of architects and thousands of viewers to participate in the exhibition,” Cecilia Alemani, the artistic director of the next Venice Biennale and curator of the High Line in New York told said in an interview. With the extra year to prepare, “I look forward to having more time with the artists to develop ambitious new projects,” she added. “In 2022, the Art Biennale will open two days before the day in which Italy traditionally celebrates the
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end of World War II: I hope that the occasion will mark a new celebration of togetherness, a new sense of participation and communion that we are all very much looking forward to.” At least ten countries have already announced their national artist representatives for the exhibition. Since its founding in 1895, the biannual art exhibition has been cancelled four times, twice during each World War. The 2021 postponement marks a return to even years for the Biennale, which delayed its 1992 edition to 1993 to ensure the 1995 biennial would align with the exhibition’s centenary. It also held editions in both 1909 and 1910 to avoid overlapping with a major exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Italian unification in 1911.
books Surviving Autocracy Masha Gessen Penguin Random House June 2020 Growing up in the Soviet Union and living in Russia off and on until relocating to the United States permanently in 2013, Masha Gessen has seen autocracy in action. Working as a journalist and LGBTQ+ rights activist, Gessen has been an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, most notably in The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin. In Surviving Autocracy, the author draws from a wealth of personal and professional experience to analyze the steps Donald Trump has thus far taken to undermine democracy and achieve as close an approximation of absolute power as the few institutions he has not yet managed to sabotage will allow. There have been numerous narratives of the Trump presidency published in recent months that simply rehash the major events of the past four years and offer aggrieved commentary on various injustices but little else of substance. Gessen does recount some of these events (in a time frame spanning Trump’s election up to the impeachment hearings), but also presents a compelling thesis, that the president is intentionally working to erode public faith in any facet of government that is not him, and then meticulously supports it with evidence. What makes Trump an interesting case is that he makes no effort to hide his naked ambition toward absolute power. The author points out that his lawyers argued during the impeachment hearing that essentially he couldn’t be charged with a crime because he was the president. Gessen contends that with this notion, “Washington split into two camps, one that inhabited the reality of a representative democracy and one that lived in an
autocracy.” This is one of Trump’s most dangerous methods of control: he makes you question what is true or real and what isn’t. And if you disagree with his version of the truth, you’re simply wrong, because he is president. If the president and his various mouthpieces claim it was sunny on the day of his inauguration and that the crowd assembled was record-breaking in size, these are just “alternative facts.” Throughout, the author draws from the work of thinkers and dissidents who have direct experience with autocracy, such as former Hungarian Minister of Education Bálint Magyar, who once described his country’s post-Communist government as a “mafia state.” Gessen elaborates on this term’s meaning, declaring it a “clan-like system in which one man distributes money and power to all other members.” Shortly thereafter, the book draws a parallel between Magyar’s comment and Trump’s initial cabinet appointments, many of whom were wildly unsuited for their jobs and were clearly being repaid for their campaign support. Gessen powerfully rebukes critics who have claimed at various points that Trump might mature into his role or that he might be too incompetent to do any lasting damage to the country, declaring, “Trump’s incompetence is militant. It is not a factor that might mitigate the threat he poses: it is the threat itself.” So what can we do about it? Gessen has some astute and concrete ideas about that too. For starters, journalists should loosen the strictures of their deference to impartiality. In the interests of appearing unbiased, the media too often fails to call the president out on his lies, or gives him the benefit of the doubt when he is undeserving of it. For people in leadership and public service roles, Gessen notes that ArtDiction | 8| May/June 2020
Trump’s Achilles heel is his complete lack of a moral code. This could be seen in Trump’s bitter reaction to Rep. John Lewis’ boycott of his inauguration. In lashing out at lifelong civil rights activist Lewis on Twitter for being “All talk,” Gessen claims, the president demonstrated a total lack of moral understanding or authority. This moral code is what we have that he doesn’t, and never will, and as long as we continue to insist, loudly, that Trump’s actions are morally wrong and contrary to the spirit of America, we have a fighting chance at warding off autocracy. Readers of Surviving Autocracy may be left somewhat dissatisfied because more questions are posed than answers given, but this is not necessarily an issue of authorial shortcomings. Throughout, Gessen struggles on the page to identify events, concepts and terms without the benefit of very much hindsight, and with the subject of the book being a notorious liar and gaslighter. The author does give us a legitimate framework—autocracy— with which to analyze the present situation, though, and perhaps most importantly, assures us that we don’t have to live in Donald Trump’s pseudo reality just because he lives there. For that reason, the book is as validating as it is informative . Reviewed By Lisa Butts
Inland Téa Obreht Penguin Random House May 2020 (Paperback)
West equally belongs to Muslims and heathens, ghosts and waterwitches, carnies and camels, and more besides.
It’s 1893 and the sparsely populated settlement of Amargo, deep in the Arizona Territory, is experiencing a severe drought. With the town’s water supply fast depleting, headstrong frontierswoman Nora Lark finds herself withstanding a further bombardment of pressing concerns. Her husband Emmet, editor of The Sentinel newspaper, has gone missing during a water-run, and anxious that their father has been ambushed and left for dead, eldest sons Rob and Dolan have set off in his pursuit. None have left word of their whereabouts. Nora eagerly awaits the return of the Lark men while also trying to quell the fears of her guileless, spirit-communing ward Josie and youngest boy Toby, who are convinced there’s a dark beast prowling the land at night.
The denizens of this West (both living and deceased) are granted coherently complex personalities. Even bit-part players, such as steadfast Sheriff Harlan Bell and altruistic Doc Almenara, are spared any cookie-cutter two-dimensionality. Within pages, sometimes paragraphs, of being introduced, they bloom into fully-realized beings who struggle to walk the line between their principles and the harsh realities of life on the frontier. But to hint at more would perhaps spoil the novel’s magic.
Nora’s narrative subtly intertwines with that of Lurie, an orphaned outlaw wanted for murder who falls in with the Camel Corps (see Beyond the Book). As this unruly band of migrant cameleers makes its way across the treacherous West, Lurie is haunted by the ghosts from his lawless boyhood and forms a touching kinship with the unlikeliest of companions. In truth, attempting to encapsulate Inland’s many sprawling storytendrils within a neat synopsis is to do this bewitching novel a great disservice. We may only follow two central protagonists, but from the get-go Obreht gives voice to a legion of lives and spirits that put flesh on the bones of a majestic, untamed American West unburdened by stale cowboy-andIndian tropes. Sure, this is a sunbaked, hardpan land of sheriffs, natives and outlaws; but Obreht’s
Nora in particular is an irresistible Rubik’s Cube of a woman. She pours scorn on teenage Josie’s claims to spiritualism while she herself converses with her deceased infant daughter Evelyn, who over the years has continued
“Every time you think you have a handle on Nora, she lets slip another nugget of a secret that forces you to reconfigure her in a new light.”
to grow into a young woman in her mother’s mind. Every time you think you have a handle on Nora, she lets slip another nugget of a secret that forces you to reconfigure her in a new light. But for all her shortcomings, you can’t help but side with this lone woman as she fights for Amargo amid an ongoing newspaper debate for residents to abandon their drought-ridden settlement for the better resources of nearby Ash River County.
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Episode after suspenseful episode fizzes with life thanks to shimmering prose and rippling turns of phrase. Obreht has an uncanny ability to conjure up singular imagery with the panache of an illusionist—”screams lit up like candles around us”—and even the most everyday of goings-on she can render ethereal—”She nudged the door with her foot, and a triangle of sun yawned across the springhouse floor.” By the end, Inland’s miscellany of slow-burn mysteries—how Nora and Lurie’s lives connect, the fate of Emmett and sons, the unidentified dark beast, the future of Amargo— begin to unravel in wholly unexpected ways, delivering a tour de force climax that will haunt you for days. Reviewed by Dean Muscat
music Dijоn—How Dо you Fеll Abоut Getting Mаrriеd?
Baltimore-bred, Los Angеlеѕbаѕеd Dijon iѕ thе quintеѕѕеntiаl singer-songwriter for thiѕ mоmеnt whеrе gеnrе аnd style have become exempt from classifications аnd hegemony. Hiѕ new EP Hоw Do You Fееl Abоut Getting Married? wаѕ released undеr thе R&B/ ѕоul tag, аррrорriаtе for hiѕ уеаrning, fаlѕеttо-lаdеn vосаlѕ and thе mооd оf the synthy, digital tеxturеѕ thrоughоut, but mаnу оf thеѕе sounds liе in thе crosshairs оf fоlk аnd pop-rock. Dijоn cites Joni Mitchell and Feist аѕ influences; hiѕ 2019 ѕоng “lасе,” hе’ѕ ѕаid, was inѕрirеd bу Smоg’ѕ “Tееnаgе Sрасеѕhiр.” Hоw Dо You Fееl Abоut Getting Married? buildѕ frоm thе Amеriсаnа-tingеd, R&B раlаtе Dijon introduced оn his dеbut EP Sсi Fi 1 as wеll as thе ѕtriking viѕuаl world hе has developed thrоugh vidеоѕ likе “Bad Luсk” аnd “CRYBABY.” Gеnrе аllоуѕ thаt ѕоund brаnd nеw аnd genuinely ѕurрriѕing—withоut being a mеѕѕ—аrе аlwауѕ hard tо соmе bу. Standout “аllеу-оор,” the EP’ѕ thundеrbоlt, pairs tender R&B аnd digitаl tinkering with реdаl steel аnd соuntrу-iѕh riffѕ. Throughout, the ѕоund-jаmming iѕ fосuѕеd, thе рrоduсtiоn glоѕѕу. But mаnу of Married’s оthеr hybrids аrе nоt ѕо
unuѕuаl that thеу sound раrtiсulаrlу nеw. Oреnеr “do you light uр?” invоkеѕ both early Frаnk Oсеаn аnd Merriweather Pоѕt Pаviliоn without muddуing thе соlоrѕ, but it dоеѕn’t аmрlifу thеm, еithеr. Polygluttony rеignѕ right nоw, аnd Dijоn has figurеd оut hiѕ рlасе in it. But ѕоmеtimеѕ hiѕ rеfеrеnсеѕ seem pulled out of a hаt, as if he’s аttеmрting to mеrgе Jоdесi and Animal Cоllесtivе, but the соmbinаtiоn doesn’t ѕееm еntirеlу nесеѕѕаrу in the first place. Eѕѕеntiаl оn thеir оwn, Dijоn’ѕ inѕрirаtiоnѕ rеquirе singular finеѕѕе to ѕuссееd аѕ a mix. Slеаfоrd Mods—All Thаt Gluе
Whilе it includes nine рrеviоuѕlу unrеlеаѕеd songs, thе twо trасkѕ from last уеаr’ѕ Top 10 аlbum Etоn Alive are hаrdlу unknown оutѕidе сrаtе-digging circles. It’ѕ fаr mоrе satisfying musically, hоwеvеr, wоrking as a gооd ѕhоwсаѕе for Jаѕоn Williamson’s stream-of-consciousness rаntѕ аnd Andrew Fеаrn’ѕ unѕhоwу but еffесtivе bеаtѕ, frоm the frantic spleen-venting оf 2014’s Jоllу Fucker to the menace оf lаѕt уеаr’ѕ OBCT. Of the unreleased mаtеriаl, the rеlеntlеѕѕ “Big Dream” and thе scattershot fury оf “Blog Mаggоt” stand оut, аlthоugh thе harsh minimalism of “Riсh Liѕt” is just аѕ роtеnt, аѕ еffесtivе a ѕkеwеring оf the media’s оbѕеѕѕiоn with thе trаррingѕ of success аѕ уоu’rе likely to hear. Thе еvеntuаl оffiсiаl rеlеаѕе оf thiѕ lоng-ѕtаnding livе fаvоuritе hаѕ been greeted wаrmlу bу Slеаfоrd fаnѕ. The delivery iѕ stunning. “Cutѕ like Fizzy” ѕtill cut likе a knifе. And there аrе еnоugh unrеlеаѕеd songs to mаkе the tenuous case thаt this iѕ nеаrlу a new ѕtudiо аlbum hot on thе heels оf Etоn Alive, whiсh gаtесrаѕhеd the UK tор 10 last уеаr.
Unlikе most of thеir сhаrt рееrѕ, Sleaford Mods’ route to success has bееn a slow one, thе Nоttinghаm duо gаthеring mоmеntum since thеir 2007 dеbut аlbum, as their unvаrniѕhеd аngеr аt austerity Britаin started to ring truе with ever mоrе реорlе. Aѕ a result, thеir ѕрrаwling bасk catalogue еnсоmраѕѕеѕ lоng-оut-оf-рrint singles, арреаrаnсеѕ on littlе-knоwn соmрilаtiоnѕ, and ѕuреr-rаrе albums. All Thаt Glue iѕ аn аttеmрt tо tidу up some оf thоѕе loose ends. As a concept, Glue is ѕlightlу соnfuѕеd, falling ѕоmеwhеrе between an еxрlоrаtiоn of the duo’s hintеrlаnd аnd a best оf. ArtDiction | 10| May/June 2020
Thе vidео fоr thе сurrеnt ѕinglе, Sесоnd, iѕ a hооt, аѕ Williаmѕоn аnd Hearn wаtсh a fеmаlе version of themselves at аn open miс night in unnаmеd роѕt-induѕtriаl English town. Thе соvеr imаgе аррrорriаtеѕ Mаrсеl Duсhаmрѕ infаmоuѕ Fоuntаin, whеn a urinаl ѕubmittеd for exhibition in 1917 turnеd conventional preconceptions оf аrt on its hеаd. Slеаfоrd Mods do ѕоmеthing ѕimilаr withоut аnу pretentiousness or conceptual baggage. All thаt Gluе is a hilаriоuѕ hоwl оf unаdultеrаtеd reality. Arthur—Hаir Of Thе Dоg Philly-based solo аrtiѕt Arthur’ѕ fragmented рор viѕiоnѕ wеrе formed, in
part, by constant exposure tо vidео games аnd thеir 8-bit ѕоundtrасkѕ whilе he wаѕ growing uр. Hiѕ 2018 dеbut album, Wооf Woof, wаѕ a collection of short songs thаt flew bу like ѕuссinсt thеmе songs for imаginаrу lаtе-night TV ѕhоwѕ. Sесоnd аlbum Hair оf the Dоg соntinuеѕ Arthur’ѕ рrосlivitу for miniаturе рор composition, growing mоrе dеmеntеd, giddу, аnd саrtооniѕh with each track. Evеn in its mоrе reserved mоmеntѕ, Hair оf thе Dоg is сrоwdеd with melodies аnd aggressive full-color arrangements. “Biz” оrnаmеntѕ itѕ would-be mеllоw grооvе with blasts of pitch-shifted vocals, outbursts of diѕtоrtеd ѕуnthѕ, and liquid vосаl hаrmоniеѕ.
ѕоundѕ, he bringѕ in guеѕt аrtiѕt Cаlеb Gilеѕ for a rарреd bridge оn thе wobbly ѕуnth-рор ѕuitе “Sоmеthing Swееt.”
On ѕоngѕ likе thiѕ аnd еѕресiаllу the brоkеn-bеаt рор ѕtаndоut “Nо Tеngо,” Arthur shows hints of thе influеnсе оf 2000ѕ wеirdо рор stars like Animаl Cоllесtivе аnd Ariel Pink. Sоаring vосаl hооkѕ аrе intеrruрtеd by unрrеdiсtаblе аnd frenzied hоrn lines, gаrblеd ѕаmрlеѕ, аnd other frасturеd ѕоundѕ. “Fatalist” iѕ аnоthеr оf the album’s bеѕt tunеѕ, jаmming demonic-voiced hооkѕ аnd nervously саtсhу сhоrd progressions intо its hеrе-аnd-gоnе running time оf just оnе minute аnd seven seconds. “I Dоn’t Wаnt tо Talk tо You” iѕ brееziеr and аlmоѕt twiсе аѕ long, but ѕtill fits еquаl parts соnfuѕiоn аnd catchiness in itѕ соmрасt form.
It ѕееmѕ likе Moby is еvеrуwhеrе, becoming more known for hiѕ асtiviѕm аnd роlitiсѕ thаn hiѕ muѕiс. Thаt’ѕ not tо say Mоbу doesn’t have hiѕ hitѕ аnd rаdiо рlау, but Mоbу арреаlѕ to реорlе for his soft-spoken сhаrm аnd оvеr-thеtор bеhаviоr аnd less fоr hiѕ drum ѕеquеnсing. Hе iѕ thе type оf celebrity whо арреаrѕ in the bасk оf a vegan rеѕtаurаnt’ѕ menu. Yet, Mоbу аlѕо happens tо appeal to a large аudiеnсе muѕiсаllу—blеnding house, downtempo, аnd triр-hор into easy liѕtеning grооvу muѕiс. Hiѕ nеwеѕt рrоjесt All Viѕiblе Objесtѕ iѕ a rеfrеѕhing callback tо Mоbу’ѕ bеѕt rеlеаѕеѕ.
Muсh of Hair оf thе Dоg fоllоwѕ this fоrmulа. Most of thе 13 trасkѕ аrе ѕtuffеd with unеаѕу combinations оf wistful, rоmаntiс melodies and gаriѕh, оvеrblоwn sounds. It’ѕ a brаnd of pop thаt will tаkе ѕоmе listeners a fеw ѕрinѕ tо gеt uѕеd tо, but it rеwаrdѕ with ѕurрriѕеѕ аrоund еvеrу corner. Juѕt when you start tо think уоu’vе cracked the code for Arthur’ѕ wеird wоrld оf
Withоut reaching thе three-minute mark, Arthur rесаllѕ Pоrсhеѕ’ ѕаdhеаrtеd sighing and Panda Bear’s quеаѕу рrоduсtiоn, adding a few linеѕ of rapping just tо furthеr muddу thе wаtеrѕ. Hаir of thе Dog is a ѕurrеаl ridе, but thе undеrсurrеnt of kindhеаrtеd сuriоѕitу kеерѕ it frоm bеing an alienating оnе. Evеn whеn they’re coated in fuzz аnd delivered with cartoon vоiсеѕ, Arthur can only оbѕсurе hiѕ рор fоundаtiоnѕ but ѕо muсh. Moby—All Viѕiblе Objесtѕ
Mоbу’ѕ heydays bookended thе 1990s. In 1991, thе Nеw Yоrk nаtivе smooshed together роѕt-рunk, 80ѕ diѕсо and thе Twin Peaks score intо “Go,” a quintеѕѕеntiаl rаvе trасk that rеасhеd No. 10 in thе UK сhаrtѕ, ѕоmеthing hе сеlеbrаtеd with ѕраѕmоdiс dаnсing оn Tор of thе Pорѕ. In 1999, hiѕ аlbum Plау, whiсh соmbinеd American rооtѕ аnd сlub beats into thе kind of dinner party-friendly dance music ArtDiction | 11 | May/June 2020
middlе England соuld rеаllу gеt behind, wеnt ѕix-times рlаtinum in the UK. Cарturing thе zеitgеiѕt аt bоth ends of a dесаdе iѕ nо small feat, аnd аt 54, Mоbу seems mоrе intеnt on rеflесting оn hiѕ ѕuссеѕѕ than rереаting it nowadays he mаkеѕ hеаdlinеѕ fоr сringеwоrthilу саndid mеmоirѕ about hiѕ unlikеlу ѕuреrѕtаrdоm rather than аnу new material. Cеrtаinlу, All Visible Objесtѕ, Mоbу’ѕ 17th album, doesn’t fееl likе a punt fоr musical rеlеvаnсе. Thе first hаlf dаnсеѕ between fеvеriѕh house, dаzеd electronica, rаvе, tесhnо аnd dub, the ѕесоnd comprises ambient аnd ѕlightlу ро-fасеd рiесеѕ built from рiаnо figurеѕ аnd synth wаѕhеѕ. Thе оvеrriding imрrеѕѕiоn of bоth mоdеѕ is nоѕtаlgiа, not lеаѕt fоr thе uрlifting, utорiаn properties of dance music. Mоbу findѕ ѕоmе traction оn the firѕt count there iѕ vitality hеrе, if nоt nоvеltу – but thе forays intо роlitiсѕ аrеn’t ѕо соnvinсing. “Pоwеr Iѕ Taken,” a hypnotic incitement to оvеrthrоw your oppressors recited bу Dеаd Kennedys’ drummеr, DH Pеligrо, аnd “Riѕе Uр in Love,” whiсh muѕеѕ on a similar ѕubjесt, bоth fееl misjudged. Perhaps it would hаvе lаndеd diffеrеntlу 20 уеаrѕ ago, but nоwаdауѕ the uber-privileged using thе vоiсеѕ of black musicians tо dеlivеr messages
about ѕubjugаtiоn ѕееmѕ bumblingly out-of-touch. Polo G—THE GOAT Pоlо G is a сеrtifiеd star and оnе of the lаtеѕt tаlеntѕ to blow from Chiсаgо’ѕ uniquе lineage of уоung rар рhеnоmѕ. Over thе lаѕt dесаdе, thе сitу hаѕ bесоmе a diаmоnd mine that hаѕ built a reputation fоr producing teen rарреrѕ thаt ѕрit a perspective that iѕ уеаrѕ аhеаd оf their time. But the rеwаrd comes at a рriсе. The passion you hear within thеѕе рrоjесtѕ dеrivеѕ frоm built-uр аgоnу frоm thе loved оnеѕ they’ve lоѕt оvеr thе уеаrѕ. In hiѕ lаtеѕt rеlеаѕе THE GOAT, Pоlо G рrоvеѕ tо bе аll thаt аnd mоrе аѕ hе reminisces on аdvеrѕitу but lооkѕ tо thе futurе with nеwfоund vision. Thе Chiсаgо rapper avoids falling fоr thе ѕорhоmоrе slump аnd соmеѕ bасk ѕоunding like thе firе inѕidе of him burnѕ hаrdеr thаn еvеr. Frоm thе mоmеnt it bеginѕ with thе intro “Dоn’t Bеliеvе Thе Hуре,” the tone
is ѕеtѕ аѕ hе еѕtаbliѕhеѕ himѕеlf аѕ a рrорhеt аmоngѕt an induѕtrу full оf mеѕѕеngеrѕ. Thе рiаnо riff is a ѕlоw-building соnfеѕѕiоnаl аѕ he reflects оn hiѕ раѕt аѕ a thоrоughbrеd ѕtrееt wаrriоr. Pоlо G goes even dеереr intо hiѕ bаg atop of Mustard рrоduсtiоn with the viсiоuѕ trасk “Hеаrtlеѕѕ”. Thе сhеѕt-рumрing instrumentation mixеd with the оffkiltеr guitar chords mаkеѕ hiѕ tales оf bеing uр tо nо good even mоrе соnvinсing. Hiѕ vеrѕеѕ are standouts, but it’ѕ thе wау hе delivers thеm thаt ѕераrаtеѕ thе 21-уеаr-оld frоm thе rest оf his рееrѕ. The bars оn this album аrе writtеn with more purpose than you’d еxресt. It’s аlmоѕt аѕ if hе gоеѕ in thе booth саrrуing thе ѕрirit оf his fаllеn brоthеrѕ. It’ѕ thе hеаrtbrеаk рumрing thrоugh the blооd vеinѕ оf thiѕ young mаn when уоu hеаr him mоurn thе lоѕѕ of hiѕ friеnd Juice WRLD оn “21”: Can’t rеlарѕе оff thеѕе drugѕ, mаn / R.I.P tо Juiсе, Wе wаѕ twеаkin’ оff thеm
Pеrсѕ/ I рорреd mу lаѕt one with уоu. The ѕtоriеѕ thаt Pоlо G dеlivеrѕ rеflесt оn раѕt bаttlеѕ оf PTSD аnd trаgеdу, but what makes this project riѕе above thе dаrknеѕѕ are thе ѕignѕ оf hоре ѕhоwn in thе album’s ѕесоnd hаlf. Hiѕ соllаbоrаtiоn with Atlаntа hitmaker Lil Bаbу, “Be Sоmеthing,” iѕ a well-crafted оdе tо winning аѕ an undеrdоg оn аn uрtеmро bеаt that sounds inѕрirаtiоnаl by nature. It’s clear thаt Polo G has mаdе hiѕ wау out оf hiѕ prior ѕtrugglеѕ, but nоw hе’ѕ ѕреnding hiѕ timе passing оn hiѕ kеуѕ tо ѕuссеѕѕ to hiѕ brothers ѕо they can lеаvе their раѕt lifе behind. Now that hе’ѕ ѕоlidifiеd himѕеlf аѕ a mаjоr tаlеnt, hе рrоvеѕ thаt you cannot саll уоurѕеlf “Thе GOAT” withоut uѕing уоur рlаtfоrm to inspire others tо wаnt оr do bеttеr. Reviews by Linda Turner
www.peacemural.org
exhibits Presented below is a list of galleries in the United Stated found or run (partially or entirely by Black gallerist. These art spaces have done much to represent and launch the careers of artist who may otherwise have been ignored. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Check artdictionmagazine.com/exhibits for updates. Arkansas Hearne Fine Art hearnefineart.com @hearnefineart Since 1988 this wife-and-husband duo, Garbo and Archie Hearne, have brought greater visibility to the work of African American artists in Arkansas. Their has hosted countless exhibitions over the past 32 years, spanning from painting and printmaking to folk art and photography, and featuring works by artists such as Phoebe Beasley, Kevin Cole, Sylvester McKissick, and Latoya Hobbs. California Band of Vices bandofvices.com @bandofvices Band of Vices was founded in 2015 by veteran screen actor and prolific collector Terrell Tilford . He has used his years of experience with art collecting and turned Band of Vices into a formidable player in Los Angeles’s gallery-heavy West Adams Art District. Recent exhibitions have showcased work by rising artists such as Grace Lynne Haynes, Yoyo Lander, and Shantell Martin. Nous Tous Community Gallery noustous.co @noustousla Launched by dancer and designer Maceo Paisley and designer Teresa Hu in 2016, Nous Tous is part gallery, part store, and part community event space located in Los Angeles’s Chinatown neighborhood. The space has
Primas. Robert Colescott.
hosted exhibitions devoted to artists Chinaedu Nwadibia, Lorenzo Diggins, Jr., Panteha Abareshi, and many more, while fostering a diverse community of designers, photographers, painters, sculptors, and other creatives. Thelma Harris Art Gallery thelmaharrisartgallery.com @thelmaharrisgallery Thelma Harris Gallery specializes in both contemporary and historical Black artists, from modern names like Claude Clark and Jonathan Green, Palmer Hayden, and Aaron Douglas. Founded in 1987 by dealer Thelma Harris, the gallery accepts artists at any stage of his or her career, and features those working in painting, sculpture, and mixed-media art, among other media. Jenkins Johnson Gallery jenkinsjohnsongallery.com @jenkinsjohnsongallery Karen Jenkins-Johnson founded her namesake gallery in San Francisco in 1996, and over the years, she has turned it into a powerhouse within the Bay Area art community. The gallery shows artists like Black Arts Movement members Jae and Wadsworth Jarrell; Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop; collage and video artist Rashaad Newsome; and the Bahamaian painter Lavar Munroe.
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Florida N’Namdi Contemporary nnamdicontemporary.com @nnamdi_gallery In 19891, Jumaane N’Namdi’s father, started G.R. N’Namdi Gallery in Detroit. Upon graduation from Morehouse College in 1997, Jumaane joined him at the helm of the gallery’s Chicago output. In 2012, after helping to expand G.R. N’Namdi Gallery to New York, Jumaane started N’Namdi Contemporary in Miami to bring his 15 years of experience to a new city. N’Namdi Contemporary represents blue-chip African American artists such as Ed Clark, Frank Bowling, Al Loving, and Robert Colescott. Georgia Arnika Dawkins adawkinsgallery.com @arnikadawkins Former marketing executive, Arnika Dawkins, opened the doors of her gallery in 2011 with a focus on representing Black artists. Well-known photographers like Gordon Parks, French-Senagalese portrait photographer Delphine Diallo have received recognition at her gallery showcasing a wide range of experience and a variety of styles. Through July 15th, Dawkins is running a COVID-19 relief effort—proceeds from a print sale will be donated through Feeding America,
a nationwide network serving communities in need. September Gray Fine Art septembergrayart.com @septembergrayart September Gray Gallery represents artists of the African diaspora at all stages of their careers. Before her career as a gallerist, founding director September Gray worked in the performing arts, as well as at an arts consultancy firm. Most recently, the gallery hosted the exhibition “The Four Horsemen,” focusing on four Black masters of abstraction: Melvin Edwards, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt, and William T. Williams. ZuCot Gallery zucotgallery.com @zucotgallery ZuCot Gallery is reportedly the largest Black-owned gallery in the American Southeast. Troy Taylor founded the gallery and named it after his grandmother, Frances Ann Taylor, whose fierce reputation as one of the first female grocers in the local market earned her comparisons to a tough “zoo cat”—or ZuCot. Taylor says that “the name of the gallery is a tribute to the pioneers and giants whose shoulders we stand on.” Recent exhibitions include “HER,” a survey of emerging Black female artists such as Georgette Baker and LaToya Hobbs, as well as “4HUNDRED,” a group show focused on tracing the legacy of the Black experience in America. Sabree’s Gallery of the Arts sabreesgallery.com @sabreesgallery Patricia Elaine Sabree started her gallery as an outlet to pay homage to the Gullah culture native to the coastal low country in states like Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Sabree is originally from a town in that region called Lake City, which is in South Carolina. She uses her roots in the Gullah experience to create the bright, blocky, intensely evocative
paintings that she also sells through her gallery. Kentucky E&S Gallery eandsgallery.com @eandsgallery Walter and Cathy Shannon present contemporary art alongside that of older generations. The Shannons sell work by artists including 20th-century luminary Elizabeth Catlett, self-taught sculptor Kimmy Cantrell, and the wildly influential Jacob Lawrence. Walter Shannon has been selling art since the 1970s and has built up a national collector base from Louisville. Louisiana Stella Jones Gallery stellajonesgallery.com @stellajonesgallery
Stella Jones Gallery was started by Dr. Stella Jones and her husband Harry in 1996. The gallery focuses on African American art, as well as contemporary African and Caribbean art. Past exhibitions have centered on printmaker and painter Samella Lewis and artist Jammie Holmes—who recently garnered attention for his project commemorating George Floyd. Maryland Galerie Myrtis galeriemyrtis.net @Galeriemyrtis Founder Myrtis Bedolla brings more than 30 years of art-world experience to Galerie Myrtics. Bedolla has also curated shows at the National Museum of Niger, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American Art in Detroit, and the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C. Galerie Myrtis hosts approximately six exhibitions a
Jammie Holmes, They’re Going to Kill Me (Los Angeles), 2020. Photo by Azim Ohm. Courtesy of the artist and Library Street Collective
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year, and past shows have included artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Delilah Pierce, Amy Sherald, and Charles White. Galerie Myrtis also hosts a recurring live talk series, “Tea with Myrtis,” where artists and art professionals discuss art trends. New York Dorsey’s Art Gallery dorseyartgallery.com Founded by Lawrence Peter Dorsey in 1970, Dorsey’s Art Gallery is the oldest, continuously run, Black-owned and -operated art gallery in New York City. The gallery has served as a haven for Black artists and collectors. Regulars included Ernest Crichlow, Tom Feelings, Elizabeth Catlett, Arthur Coppedge, , Bob Blackborn, Otto Neals, James Denmark, Jacob Lawrence, Ann Tanksley, Christopher Gonzales, Emmett Wigglesworth, and James Brown. Dorsey died in 2007. His daughter Laurette and members of the community have kept the gallery open. Essie Green Galleries essiegreengalleries.com @essie.green.gall Serving as a vital centerpiece of the community’s Black cultural renaissance, Essie Green Galleries opened its first exhibition on December 15, 1979. Its roster of 19th- and 20th-century Black masters includes artists like Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and Charles Ethan Porter. Skoto Gallery skotogallery.com @skoto_gallery Established in 1992, Skoto Gallery was among the first spaces to specialize in representing contemporary African artists in New York City. The gallery has since expanded its mission to become a nexus for artists of any ethnic or cultural persuasion, allowing African art to be in conversation with
the global cultural dialogue. Represented artists include Uche Okeke, Ifeoma Anyaeji, Ibrahim El Salahi, and Osaretin Ighile. The Compound Gallery thecmpdgallery.com @compoundgallery_ Set Free Richardson has run The Compound in the South Bronx since the early 2000s. It’s the creative agency where he works on campaigns for major brands and invites friends and creatives to exchange ideas. In 2018, Richardson opened The Compound Gallery nearby—a natural extension of the original business—together with Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def). The gallery shows artists and art forms that are underrepresented and often excluded from the gallery system, from rising street artists to legendary photographers who’ve captured the hip-hop community. Mackey Twins Art Gallery mackeytwinsartgallery.com @mackeytwinsart Karen and Sharon Mackey founded the Mackey Twins Art Gallery in 2004 to address the lack of representation and support for artists of color in the art industry. The sisters—twins, as the gallery name indicates—are both former high school teachers who purchased their first work, a James Denmark print, over 40 years ago by pooling their salaries. The gallery now represents Denmark, along with other iconic Black artists such as Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence. The Mackey sisters are also actively involved with the City College of New York. Pennsylvania Rush Arts Philadelphia rushphilanthropic.org @rushartsphilly Since its opening in 2016, Rush Arts Philadelphia has fostered the activist spirit, which has remained at the core of the space’s programs. In the last two years, its exhibitions have ranged ArtDiction | 15 | May/June 2020
Karen and Sharon Mackey.
in theme from portraits of victims of gun violence, to “Giving Up The Ghost: Artifacts/A Study of Power and Solidarity Against White Violence in Modernity” (a show curated by Niama Safia Sandy), to street photography by Jay Potter, and, just before the pandemic hit, to an exhibition of large-scale drawings made by Imo Nse Imeh in response to a racist children’s book and nursery rhyme from the early 20th century. South Carolina Gallery Chuma gallerychuma.com Gallery Chuma celebrates the creativity of the Gullah people—the descendants of enslaved Africans who settled off the south Atlantic coast in isolated communities during the 19th century. Run by Chuma Nwokike out of Charleston, South Carolina, Gallery Chuma represents artists including James Denmark, Jonathan Green, John W. Jones, Carol A. Simmons, and Irene Tison. Neema Gallery neemagallery.com @neemagallery Owned by Meisha Johnson, Neema Gallery features to Black artists from the South, including James Denmark, Tyrone Geter, Otto Neals, potters Winton and Rosa Eugene, and civil rights photographer Cecil Williams. Johnson is an artist herself. Around the corner, Johnson recently opened a second space, Gallery Elevate, featuring Black artists from across the United States. “It’s a place where we’ll nurture beginning collectors,” Johnson said.
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Tattoos and ‘Baby’ Drawings
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valdas Gulbinas has been a professional tattoo artist for six years. But his interest in art began many years prior. “My background is in academic art studies and street art,” he says. “I grew up going to art schools and skateboarding from my teenage years. I was born in Kedainiai, a small city in Lithuania city. I was always surrounded by graffiti art, as I skateboarded to my art classes and from place to place.” Evaldas completed two art schools in Lithuania (Kedainiai and National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art). He later moved to London where he completed his Foundation diploma in Art and Design and then earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art-Mixed Media at University of Westminster, London. “I also have an unconditional offer to earn a Master’s in Fine art at Chelsea College of Arts - University of the Arts London (UAL) in London, UK, which starts in October 2020.” His artistic background along with his work in mixed-media arts naturally led Evaldas to explore tat-
tooing. He completed his first tattoo at 13 years old. “I tattooed my palm (one dot), but I did not know what I was doing,” he recalls. “I just had ink and needle from art school. I felt I needed something and just did it.” At the age of 18, he began tattooing his friends. He later landed an apprenticeship and worked alongside professional tattoo artists. “This time was super fun; I was always busy and creative. I really like the power that comes to me when I’m creating something no matter which media it is.” Evaldas’ traditional abstract tattooing style also includes Japanese influences, dotwork, and “cry baby” art. “It’s clean work but looks like ‘baby’ drawings. It’s childish, cartoonic drawings, which has some weird elements,” he explains. “I always trying to create style, which nobody has.” Although his tattoo designs are inspired by daily life, and even his current mood or the mood of his customers, Evaldas is also inspired by other artists such as Takashi Murakami, Yoyoi Kusama, Petter McDonald,
Evaldas Gulbinas
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Evaldas’ traditional abstract tattooing style also includes Japanese influences, dotwork, and “cry baby” art.
and Tony Ousler. “I really like going to Universities that have the future motifs and then going to the studio to tattoo,” he adds. “Sometimes I am very emotional, which I think is good, because then I can absorb things like a sponge and can tell a lot of stories trough art.”
in the future, I want to create emotional, futuristic spaces, and explore humans emotions. To see Evaldas’ portfolio, go to www.evaldasgulbinas.co.uk.
Evaldas is currently focusing on digital media and realism tattooing. When I get back into fine arts
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The Punk Art Movement By Alex Pisalo
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ew cultural movements have had as much impact on modern society as punk. Like many cultural movements, the origins of punk begun with images, sounds, and expressions. Unfiltered and unaffected by all the social restrictions, the story of the punk movement influence is mostly linked to New York and London, but the punk movement has involved anyone who has rejected the mainstream. As a cultural movement, punk is driven by a refusal to sell out, a desire to do it yourself, and anti-capitalism. Expression of societal disgust, working-class anger, frustration of living, this cultural movement communication style can be found in fashion, music, creative writing, and visual artworks. Punk and Visual Art Punk visual art movement is based, in part, on the anarchistic, anti-conformist, and anti-art approach of Marcel Duchamp and Dadaism. Showcased in art galleries and exhibition spaces, punk visual art graces all of the punk music bands album covers, flyers, posters, walls, and websites. Ever since the late 1970s, punk has been the name for an infinitive number of radical visual art paintings and statements in them, which continue to influence the world we live in today. Angry, aggressive, and full of strong social
and cultural messages, the punk visual art defined the way music records were designed and marketed. Like the Dadaists, punk visual art style features letters cut from newspaper headlines, photocopies of national or popular culture images and collages. The first artist who defined the punk art aesthetic was Jamie Reid. This British artist is best known for designing covers of the music band Sex Pistols. His works ca be seen on cover singles such as “Anarchy in the UK” and “Good save the Queen”, as well as albums Here’s the Sex Pistols and Newer Mind the Bollocks. Jamie Reid’s art can be found in museums and galleries, including New York’s Museum of Modern Arts, and the London’s Tate Gallery. Sculptures, Photographs and Paintings Punk art saw a reinvention in the 20th century. Interpreted in new ways, the do it yourself punk art movement’s approach inspired a whole new group of artists for the self-promotional graffiti, political, and war-related collages, and the photocopied image look. The punk artworks were explosive combinations of illustration, text, and montage, featuring everything from disfigured images of punk music bands, though photographic images to political satire. Always somewhat of an outsider to art world, the anti-art Alan Vega was a genius in his music and visual artworks. He was known for his art sculptures that were made from junked
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electrical parts and bulbs, subway’s surreal drawings and punk paintings. His visual art expresses the wild energy, chaos, and danger of his era. Let us not forget times when Marcia Resnick’s photography documented a period when rock-punk, art, and beat generation came together. Her photographs capture rock and punk music stars, artists, cultural rebels, and supporters of the punk culture movement in the most unique ways possible. There isn’t a single Resnick’s art photograph that doesn’t have deep cultural and social message. Combining confrontation and communication between different words, her photographs explore fame, sexuality, and lifestyles. Punk Art Today Even though we arguably live in a post-punk work, punk’s visual art has found its way into the fashion industry, to the film industry and marketing concepts and ideas. Reproduced and commercialized punk artworks can be seen on T-shirts, commercial ads, and fashion magazines, such as Vogue. There are still artists who continue to produce punk visual art. Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore (collaboratively know as Gilbert & George) are just two of them. The duo has always rejected an academic approach to art, feeling that it was too conventional and habitual been anti-elitist, and they serve as a touchstone for where punk art resides today.
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Calm Calamity
Grunch Chick ELLE
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Graffiti’s Visual Poet
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LLE is a renowned street artist with a portfolio that graces walls and galleries around the world. Although she studied Food Science and Technology at a university, she knew she didn’t want to practice science her entire life. “I had always loved art, but I was scared of the financial pressure. I decided I had to give it a try and peruse it anyways!”
ELLE graduated with an art history degree. “Following University, I went to a post baccalaureate program for painting. After feeling quite disillusioned and uninterested in the old-school form of teaching, I dropped out and moved to New York,” ELLE recalls. Soon after, she discovered street art and graffiti. “I immediately fell in love with the
ELLE
ELLE
work on the street and thought it was a wonderful gift to pedestrians in the city. I decided that I had to partake,” she says. So, she taught herself how to spray paint. That was 10 years ago. ELLE’s first international trip landed her in Berlin, which came by way of invitation from the Urban Nation Museum. “I had been painting murals in NY because I had free spray paint (I got sponsored by a spray paint company because I was doing lots and lots of graffiti in NY at the time). Once people saw my murals on the streets, the invitations to travel and paint started to happen.” ELLE has a unique artistic style that is figurative/floral/abstract and collage-based. “I create the collages in photoshop using images from Pinterest, magazines, fashion, renaissance art, etc. and create what I like to think of as ‘visual poetry.’ I then paint those mockup pieces with spray paint on buildings. The ongoing debate still lingers as to whether street art is considered vandalism. As ELLE explains, she and many street artists started out with street art, moved through vandalism, and then on to mural painting. “Many street artists and muralists started with graffiti, but really, there’s a big calligraphy challenge there. Not all art is graffiti in the same way that not all graffiti is vandalism. I think that Banksy has done the hard work of making (even illegal) graffiti a more acceptable art form.” Reflecting on some of her most memorable pieces, One of ELLE’s top picks is a painting of a skull/woman collage inside of a crypt in the south of France at MAUSA Museum. She adds: “I also painted a large political mural in Kentucky a few days before the Trump rally that said ” **** Trump,” and really enjoyed being able to use my voice publicly!” ELLE’s work also includes spray painting on canvas, which presents specific challenges. “Spray painting canvases is incredibly difficult because of the scale,” she says. “Murals and walls are much easier because of the size. Spray painting a 5-story mural is easier in that respect. Typically, the minimum canvas I will paint is 6-foot squared, and even still that feels painfully small and takes a long time.” ELLE says she is inspired by music, nature, and other art and artist such Wangechi Mutu, Kahinde Wiley and others. To see more of her work, visit http://ellestreetart.com/ and follow her on in Instagram: @ellestreetart.
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Ceci nest pas lart ELLE
Can’t Do Tomorrow ELLE
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Blink Photography by @Halopigg
Calm Calamity Tyrone Webb
Northland Photography by Dean Sunshine
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Bali ELLE
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Murals, Graffiti and By D.E. Bradley
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ocial media and newspaper reports are full of images of street art and graffiti related to the Black Lives Matter protests. For better or worse, these images capture the imagination and draw us into the story. Street art can help protesters and mourners make the most of the situation, using the right image, in the right place.
noticed. This is why there are even more street art depictions of Donald Trump across the world. Some say he has a look that is made for caricature, and artists don’t hold back. The creation of the Trump Blimp Baby in the UK one of the most well-known examples to date.
Putting a Face to a Cause
Then there is the snappy tagline to the protest that forms the chants and condenses the message into a few simple words. The ongoing unrest and protests across the world have seen a few examples appearing in various forms. Many memorials and pieces of street art are accompanied by phrases like “I can’t breathe,” “Stop Racism” and “Black Lives Matter.” Of course, the power of social media means that these tags and slogans are also simple hashtags. These then project the artwork from the walls of neighborhoods to the mobile devices of countless allies across the world.
The artwork that has gained the most attention is, unsurprisingly, the memorials to George Floyd. The most recognizable memorial right now is probably the one in Minneapolis outside the store where the incident took place. This one is made all the more powerful with the names of others that lost their lives. There are many more across the United States, with some depicting George as an angel. One is in the neighborhood where he grew up in Houston. In fact, portraits of George have appeared all across the world. There is one in a Dublin housing estate in Ireland, one on ruins in Syria, and one in Nairobi, Kenya. Putting a face to a campaign or political statement is always a helpful way to get
The Importance of the Slogan
The Power of a Simple Image The power of street art and graffiti in difficult times in America is not unprecedented. With global movement that won’t be silenced, the
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Street Art During Times of Protest images are repeated more frequently. There are plenty of other recent examples of the power of street art too. If we take two very different incidents - the terrorist attack in Manchester in 2017 and the recent uprising in Hong Kong - we see the power of a symbol. Manchester was adorned with bees, an icon of the city, to show the strength of the people. Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution has led to the simple image of the yellow umbrella. They aren’t the first and they won’t be the last.
turns a protest into a riot could end up using graffiti to cheapen the impact of street art.
Negative Graffiti Overshadows Positive Street Art
An example of this is an incident in London. Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets in what was a pretty peaceful march. But, one incident made headline news after protesters sprayed the acronym ACAB on a memorial statue. The next morning, young members of the Household Cavalry left their barracks to clean it off and were verbally abused on camera. It is imperative that we make the distinction between street art and graffiti during times of trouble, conflict, and protest.
Images and pieces of street art can be a highly valuable tool during these times. The best become meeting points for local mourners or symbols of hope or resistance. But then there is the problem of graffiti and tagging. There will be many cases of graffiti and tagging during these protests. In some cases, it is just a kid with a spray can trying to add their own message. But, many of these incidents are considered to be acts vandalism against the properties of innocent residents and business owners. A small minority that lashes out to make a point and
We have seen time and time again how a strong piece of street art from a gifted artist can express a heartfelt sentiment. It can bring people together and inspire others. Images and ideas are repeated in homage and solidarity. The image helps to promote the story. But, graffiti is too often a spontaneous, personal attack that divides us and becomes its own story, distracting us from the real issue. Street art will always have its place in times like these. Graffiti will inevitably follow. It is up to us to shine a light on the images that best serve us.
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A Creative Vessel
T
ré Koch has always had a fascination with everything visual ever since he could remember. “Photography was a hobby I picked up after high school, and it merged with my love for art and fashion as I grew into myself as a visual artist,” he says. After completing his study of Photoimaging at RMIT, Tré moved to London, which he says is “where the real learning occurred.” Inspired by everything from trees, people, textures, and furniture, to feelings, colors, and experiences
(the list can go on forever, he admits), Tré views himself simply as a vessel. “Creative concepts come to me through my deep connection to self and the environment around me.” Tré is expanding the presence of his unique visuals and aesthetics. “I am about to launch a Boutique Artist Agency titled ‘go-see’ that has been in the making for nearly two years now.” To see more of Tre’s work and to follow his soon-to-be launched agency, go to https://www.trekoch.com/ and http://go-see.online/.
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artist & ad index
Page C3 Arteza www.arteza
www.arteza.com www.303gallery.com
Page 32 ELLE http://ellestreetart.com/ Page 16 Evaldas Gulbinas http://ryanhewett.com/ Page C2 Jackson’s Art Supply https://www.jacksonsart.com/ https://www.jacksonsart.com
Page 46 Tré Koch https://www.trekoch.com Page 12 Peace Mural Foundation http://www.peacemural.org/ Page 31 Philadelphia Photo Arts Center www.philaphotoartscenter.org
philaphotoarts.org ArtDiction | 29 | May/June 2019
C4 Pro Tapes & Specialties https://www.protapes.com/products/artist-tape
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Pro® Premium Black Mask pH Neutral
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Paint Straight Lines - Professionally! Whether you’re masking, hinging, adhering artwork, working on a mural or canvas, Pro Tapes® offers a comprehensive selection of premium adhesive tapes for your medium. To find a distributor near you or to become a distributor, please email Steve Espinal, Graphic Arts Market Manager: sespinal@protapes.com
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800-345-0234 ext. 133
www.arteza.com www.303gallery.com
Pro® Premium Black Mask pH Neutral
Pro® Artist Tape 11 Colors White is pH Neutral
Paint Straight Lines - Professionally! Whether you’re masking, hinging, adhering artwork, working on a mural or canvas, Pro Tapes® offers a comprehensive selection of premium adhesive tapes for your medium. To find a distributor near you or to become a distributor, please email Steve Espinal, Graphic Arts Market Manager: sespinal@protapes.com
www.protapes.com
800-345-0234 ext. 133
