2
Forward The last five years or so has seen an explosion of artists working in the outdoors, often in an urban environment, and the interest from newspapers, television news, magazines, books and radio has been matched by the public’s appetite for this growing phenomenon. Stencils, woodcuts, sculptures, stickers, freehand paintings, pasted posters, ceramic tiles and photographs have been put up in cities across the world. In order that these outdoor, usually unsanctioned, artworks could be discussed people have come up with various terms, none of which is entirely satisfactory. Some people favour ‘outsider’ or ‘urban art,’ which allows for artists who don’t work in the street but whose aesthetic and attitude somehow makes them fit alongside artists who do, but the most widely used term is ‘street art.’ Under this definition anyone who creates an artwork and places it on a wall in the street is ‘doing’ street art. Indeed, this is one of the great things about it, there is no traditional art world establishment deciding whether or not an individual’s work is worthy of being shown. Anyone who feels they have something to say or share, and who can avoid getting caught, is free to do so. It is truly a democratic form of creative expression. However there is a flip side to the term ‘street art’ being so broad. It has led to a somewhat dismissive attitude from museum curators, traditional galleries, the public, critics and parts of the art media. People talk of liking street art or not liking street art, or of street art not being ‘proper art’. But this is a mistake. It makes no more sense to make value judgements about ‘street art’ than it does about ‘museum art’ or ‘gallery art’. The definition is so wide it renders such value judgements meaningless. Street art is not a movement or genre like expressionism, minimalism or pop art. Its only unifying feature is that all of the works included within it are to be found in the streets of towns and cities around the world. Much of the work people put up in the streets is not meant to be significant works of art or important or visionary, and perhaps, like within any creative endeavour, some tries to be and misses the mark. But amongst the wide group of people who have chosen to express themselves in the street are some of the most creative and interesting artists working today. What unites these important artists is a refusal to play by the rules, to conform to the establishment, to follow the traditional paths set out by the art world. This refusal to be constrained or dictated to has led to some of the most exciting artworks and projects to be seen in any area of the arts. The freedom to communicate directly with the viewer outside of a traditional curated white cube environment has not only allowed art to be seen much more as an integrated part of everyday life, but it has also introduced the dialogue between artist and viewer to a far broader audience than ever before. Thankfully, there is a small but vocal group of art world insiders - young curators, major dealers, collectors and the occasional critic - who recognise that within the wider street art phenomena are some hugely talented and important artists. These people are critical in ensuring that ‘street art’ is not seen merely as a trend or fashion soon to be forgotten or replaced but as an arena of creative expression whose lack of rules attracts some of the most exciting and visionary artists working today. This small group is gradually gaining wider recognition for these artists from a slow moving and traditional establishment. That Banksy’s NOLA painting is currently on view in the Museum of Modern Art in New Orleans, that the Boston ICA recently staged a retrospective of Shepard Fairey’s work and that MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum have Swoon works in their permanent collections is testament to the passion and commitment of these individuals. Last year the Tate Modern invited a group of street artists including JR, Faile, Os Gêmeos and Nunca to paint or paste huge works on the outside of the Tate Modern. In typically British fashion they have yet to exhibit works by these artists on the inside of the museum, it was more of a nod towards acceptance than a wholehearted embrace. Any publicly funded arts institution must walk the difficult line between showing things of cultural significance and accepting that they are funded by us, the public, and therefore have a corresponding duty to show us things that we want to see. In the case of street art there need not be any conflict between these two sometimes divergent goals. In the same manner that street art attracts artists who refuse to play by the rules it also attracts curators and publishers who refuse to wait for the establishment to add their seal of approval before staging exhibitions and publishing books. This exhibition is very much in tune with the ethos of street art; if the museums are not ready to put on a significant exhibition of street art then someone will come along and attempt it themselves. I hope that shows like The Thousands make our publicly funded institutions open their tired eyes and see that whatever preconceptions they have of ‘street art’ are false and that their mistrust of those who choose to work outside of the confines of the traditional art world is misguided. - Mike Snelle, Black Rat Press
Introduction
3
The Thousands is a street art exhibition that I’ve organized, but it’s only open for a few days in November 2009. The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In aims to capture the spirit of the exhibition and extend its reach beyond those who visit The Thousands in person. I’ve organized The Thousands and compiled this book because I see street art as the most important genre of Western art in the late 20th and early 21st century, and in my opinion it hasn’t been getting the credit it deserves from the larger contemporary art world. As Mike Snelle explained in his forward, some of the most creative artwork in recent years has come from street artists. Unfortunately, art critics haven’t widely accepted street art as serious art just yet. Banksy’s art has been a major source of controversy in the art world (most of the time with the public saying they love it and critics saying the work is trashy) even after he has collaborated with Damien Hirst on multiple occasions and had 300,000 visitors to a single solo exhibition. When Swoon and Shepard Fairey went to the Venice Biennale in 2009, they were not the talk of the town that they deserved to be, and Swoon had to essentially crash the party with her rafts/artworks to be seen at all. This book includes art by many of the same artists who are included in The Thousands. It also includes a few talented artists such as Veng and Dan Witz who aren’t in the exhibition. Some of the art is photographed on the street, but some are hanging in people’s homes or in art galleries around the world. Alongside the photographs are biographies of the artists or in some cases a few words written by the artists’ friends and fans. The artists in this book are some of my personal favorites and they embody the spirit of The Thousands. There are a lot of street art books published each year by people who know design but can’t tell you the first thing about street art. The book is the other way around. It might look ugly to most people, but I’m no designer. This book has photos and information about great street art, because what I am is a street art fanatic. Hopefully The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In gives you a taste of what street art is, and if you’re already a street art fan, I hope this book gives you insight into artists you already love and introduces you to some new ones. - RJ Rushmore October 2009
From left to right: Titi Freak, Judith Supine and Herakut Swoon
4
Armsrock Every day in the city we see hundreds of strangers living their lives, and for the most part, we ignore them. Armsrock asks people to take a second look. What Armsrock brings to the table is a powerful fascination with the city and the people in it. Instead of forgetting about the strangers he sees, Armsrock captures their essence and returns it to the city to become one with the urban environment. Originally from Denmark and now living in Germany, Armsrock has faced an uphill battle to become an internationally recognized street artist. It is a lot easier to make a name for yourself from London than Bremen. Thankfully, Armsrock has already found the support of people like Marc and Sara Schiller of Wooster Collective, Swoon, and galleries from London to Los Angeles. Maybe what most sets Armsrock apart is what he actually pastes outside. While most artists working with wheatpaste use some sort of stencil or printing process to allow for repetition of an image, the drawings that Armsrock sticks to city walls are one-offs that would be equally at home inside a gallery. It’s as though Armsrock flips a coin to decide if an artwork should be put outside or sold. And that’s a very rare thing.
5
6
Banksy After starting out as a graffiti writer in Bristol, Banksy transitioned into using stencils, and in addition to writing his name, he began to make politically charged and humorous images. He made a name for himself in Bristol and London with consistent work on the street as well as small shows indoors, and in 2006 he had a solo show in Los Angeles titled Barely Legal which massively boosted his popularity. In the summer of 2009, three hundred thousand people waited in line (often for more than 4 or 5 hours) to see Banksy Versus The Bristol Museum, a show where he practically took over the museum for a few months and filled it with his art. Through his painting, sculptures and even animatronics, Banksy has proven himself to be the most important street artist (and perhaps the most important artist) working today. Much of Banksy’s art deals with the absurdity and hypocrisy of everyday life. He has tackled consumerism, politics, art theory and countless other topics. Some of his pieces even poke fun at the people buying the art for such high prices. There’s really not much point in describing what Banksy does in any more detail. That would be like trying to repeat a joke you heard the night before from a stand up comic; the timing would be off, the context wouldn’t be right, people just wouldn’t think it was funny. The best way to understand Banksy’s work is to just look at it.
7
8
Brazilian Street Art Author’s note: Yes I know how unfair it is to lump all the Brazilian street artists into such a small section of this book, but I don’t have the expertise to write about many Brazilian artists. Thankfully, Elisa Carmichael, who is much more knowledgeable about these artists than I am, offered to help out and contribute this section so that the Brazilian scene would not be neglected entirely. - RJ Brazil has established itself as home to some of the most vibrant and internationally recognized graffiti and street art. There is perhaps no culture in the world that has generated a voice so uniquely its own. While many of the country’s early practitioners were inspired by New York City graffiti and hip-hop culture when the sounds and images began to reach them in the late 1980s, Brazil has a long history in activist street art. This combined with geographic isolation from the global scene, limited means, multicultural complexity and the influence of artists such as Alex Vallauri, John Howard and Rui Amaral contributed to a fresh interpretation of the style. Although the art forms exist and thrive in all of the major cities, it is São Paulo which all but overflows with creative energy. Walking down the painted streets is like entering a vast three-dimensional work of art, a feeling which engenders an emotional response like no other. The city has always been a fertile breeding ground for talent and has nurtured one of the largest and most influential concentrations of established and emerging artists. San Francisco artist Barry McGee’s visits to São Paulo in the early 1990s had an enormous impact on the scene and by the end of the decade, a core group of artists which included Os Gêmeos, Nina, Herbert Baglione and Vitché had begun to travel and gain local and international attention. Others such as Nunca, Onesto, Speto, Binho, Tinho, Flip, Titi Freak, Sesper, Zezão, Ciro and Highgraff have continued the evolution of Brazilian street art, with a new generation of talent like Ethos, Calma, Fefê, Cena7 and Andre Firmiano following in their footsteps. These artists are now recognized by some of the most important collectors, galleries, art fairs, auction houses and museums around the world. The diversity that can be observed in Brazilian style, technique, content, palette and sentiment is overwhelming in its richness and strength. The perpetual conquering of challenging and often life-threatening terrain to create work derives from the mind-set of the omnipresent pixadors, whose iconic lettering is seen in the most difficult to reach places. Artists frequently draw upon their country’s colorful heritage and emblematic folklore to create entire worlds for their characters to inhabit. Although figurative characters have always played a role in graffiti and street art, in Brazil they have taken on a life of their own. São Paulo also has the largest Japanese population outside of Tokyo, adding a dimension to the city that is reflected in much of the imagery and techniques. The raw social and political conscience and deep connection these artists have to the natural and urban environment resonates deeply both with locals and those who view it from afar. Despite such complexity, there is a simple, inherent humanity which everyone can relate to in some capacity. - Elisa Carmichael, Carmichael Gallery
Zezão
Calma
9
Nina
Flip
Vitché
10
Burning Candy I first met Spie (Sweet Toof) and Tek33 before the days of BC, when they were blowing up the streets of North London with their super funky tags, throw-ups and pieces, around 2000/2001. I met them in this graffiti park at the back of my old school in Tufnell Park where Spie was painting this huge blockbuster using mostly emulsion, which was a technique I hadn’t really come across before. I remember thinking that it was gonna be a weird piece that wasn’t really gonna look like graffiti as I knew it, but back then I was probably still your average London kid who thought “real graff” was plain letters done in silver and black. When Spie’s piece was finished I remember me and Rest looking at it in our classic 14 year old red-eyed amazement! Once the spray paint outline and details were on you couldn’t even really tell that emulsion was used. It was definitely a lesson in style. Back then those guys were an inspiration to me and still are. They have a think big, anything goes attitude to getting up which is a breath of fresh air in the London scene which can, at times, hold quite a small minded approach to the graffiti art form. A lot has changed since then and I can’t really think of any other crew that has adapted to the times like BC have. In the past few years the emergence of street art in the mainstream has brought about two kinds of graffiti practitioners. There are people who go against the mainstream hype by painting lots that’s quick and ugly to
the naked eye; stuff that is solely for the graffiti underground. On the other hand, there are people painting the odd pretty bit of street art in Shoreditch, which the general public will probably like, in the hope that someone in the media or a gallery will notice it and make them the new big sensation. The BC Crew undermine the whole argument. They see no boundaries or divisions in their world which results in some of the most energetic, thought provoking pieces you’ll see at the moment. They have naturally formed a crew that is made up of both street artists and bombers and is all built on strong foundations of the graffiti culture. They paint the same spots that certain “hardcore bombers” would do, yet produce something twice the size and twice as original. In my eyes this makes them one of the most important crews in the country right now. These days a lot of stuff has been played out. Letterforms can be restricting sometimes, which is why you see BC produce their huge productions of off-key characters that look like they’ve been pulled
Sweet Toof
11 out the pages of a crazed comic book! When you paint with the freedom that they do, there’s no real limit to how far you can take it. BC are a bunch of individuals keeping things moving forward. They paint for themselves and other like-minded people and are constantly trying to push the boundaries in the art of taking space. - Panik ATG
Mighty Mo, Cyclops and Sweet Toof
Dscreet
Cept, Sweet Toof, Mighty Mo, Tek33 and Dscreet
12
The History of BC as told by Tek33... In 2006 I curated Artistic Vandals at Sartorial Contemporary Art London, a show that included writers Rain Man, Panik, Sweet Toof, Cyclops, Zims and others. After that I wanted to do a show featuring myself plus two more writers who also had a strong studio output. Sweet Toof introduced me to Cyclops in my London studio on a Friday afternoon in November 2006. That night they went out and did the famous Hackney Wick wooden cut outs by the station. I loved what they were doing and invited them to be part of a show for 2007: Cyclops, Sweet Toof and Tek33. At this time Lenny the High Roller evolved, a Cyclops/ Sweet Toof invention. Cyclops was writing ‘Burning Candy’ and ‘Before Chrome’ next to his work. We needed a title for our show, so one day Sweet Toof and myself phoned Cyclops in Bristol and asked could we use his ‘Burning Candy’ slogan as the title for our forthcoming trio gallery show. He agreed and we had a slamming title. Next the idea was to hit up BC and Burning Candy all over, announcing our arrival, so when the show dropped, people knew who we were. In July 2007 I moved to Sweden. Cyclops and Sweet Toof smashed North East London and Bristol. A Leeds College of Art and Design show was added to the BC show schedule which opened with a huge slamming BC lecture attended by over 100 people in May 2008. After that Rowdy was invited to be down by law with BC, now there were four... In Autumn 2008 Gold Peg and Monkey were sworn in and in 2009 we signed Discreet, Cept, LLB and subsidiary crew members Masiker RCS and Zims ATS. The transfer window is closed for now. Lets see what the future holds for the BCeeeeeeez...
The Lenny the High Roller character
Cept
Rowdy and Sweet Toof