by megan reynolds
ur
A look at the streets, its art, and the artists that help give it life. by stephen dolan
ban art Left to Right: Andrew Rojas (top right, too), Steven Cable, and Erik Langston
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raffiti and street art are now a common part of the endless flow of information and constant ‘noise’ of the world. Both can be seen as subversive forms of advertising and self promotion in an environment that is more and more virtual, and in which we become like avatars negotiating our way through computer-generated landscapes.,constantly bombarded by instructions and symbols, road names, billboards, fly posters, shop signs, cars, road marking, bollards, railings, pavements, and even now and then, a piece of dog shit. And all we real want to do is move from A to B. So in order to travel through the world, we have to put ourselves into a mild trance; we let this flood of information wash over us, and simple choose that which is relevant directly to us. Advertising in the public realm is constantly attempting to snap us out of this trance and make us focus on something other than reaching our destination. With its various devices, such as repitiion, scale and the use of seductive images, it often succeeds. When advertising does distract us from our path, however, it immediately steers us towards a moment of purchase.
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Top: Collective street art Atlanta Below: Steven Cable. Right: Houston art by Drew Levitus
What differentiates street art and graffiti writing from the symbols of the outside world is the lack of a logical conclusion to the viewing process. Unlike all other symbols that we encounter in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual. They say, “Think about this” as opposed to “Do this.” In this way, when we look at art forms that have been illegally placed on in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual. They say, “Think about this” as opposed to “Do this.” In this way, when we look at art forms that have been illegally placed on What differenti-
ates street art and graffiti writing from the symbols of the outside world is the lack of a logical conclusion to What differentiates street art and graffiti writing from the symbols of the outside world is the lack of a logical conclusion to the viewing process. Unlike all other symbols that we encounter in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual. They say, “Think about this” as opposed to “Do this.” In this way, when we look at art forms that have been illegally placed on in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual. They say, “Think about this” as opposed to “Do this.” In this way, when we look at art forms that have been illegally placed on buildings, we are asked to contemplate something grander. As contemporary art is experiencing such unprecedented prices, it’s natural that street art is gaining value, especially among a generation of people who have grown up viewing it as art rather than vandalism. Luckily for the budding enthusiast, most collecting revolves around relatively cheap limited editions of bold, graphic images that can cost as little as £50. However, buyers should beware: the business side is still under-developed, so print editions are often too numerous to be likely ever to attain much value. If history really is repeating itself, then the London graffiti scene will crash and burn as the New York one did after the ’80s urban art
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Left: Rob Gibbon in Los Angeles. Below: Artist Andrew Summo Right: A street paiting in Brazil by arist Random Name.
Secured inside a wooden crate and locked in a warehouse is a painting that could cement this city’s reputation as a showcase for avant-garde art. Or as a wasteland waiting to be picked apart.It’s a stenciled image on a 7-foot-by-7-foot slab of cinder-block wall, showing a small boy holding a can and paintbrush. Next to the boy are the words: “I remember when all this was trees.” The painting came from the grounds of the old Packard auto plant, one of the city’s infamous industrial ruins. And it is believed to be the work of the mysterious street artist 5 | art magazine
“
These imagesare
famed around the world
”
Banksy, whose graffiti-like renderings adorn the lanes of London and the walls of the West Bank. His ironic urban images, or “tags,” have produced world-wide fame and led him to create an Oscar-nominated documentary. This Banksy work, close to the Archway underground stop in North London, depicts a hitchhiker with the face of serial killer Chales Manson. Last year, it was targeted by a Banksy competitor. How the work ended up in the warehouse—was it a rescue or a heist?—is now the subject of a spirited discussion in Detroit art circles. urban art
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Right: Artist Johnathon Hamilton standing with San Franciscan street mural.
“
If nothing else,
street art confronts the public about the role of art
”
Banksy’s signature stencils of kissing coppers, flower-chucking terrorists and mischievous rats found on doorways and side streets have become so sought-after that they are being chipped out of walls and sold for ludicrous sums, exactly mirroring the early ’80s phenomenon of Brooklyn-born graffiti kid SAMO (better known as troubled painter Jean-Michel Basquiat). Like New York in graffiti’s heyday, London is now embracing its disenfranchised plein air daubers, except that they are no longer derided as criminals or vandals but lauded as ‘street artists’ This newly acceptable form of graffiti is currently storming the traditional bastions of high culture. On Tuesday, venerable old Bonhams is holding the capital’s first dedicated auction of ‘urban art’ in Bond Street (not exactly its natural habitat), and Tate Modern will be dedicating a weekend to the arrival of the street art genre in May. With such establishment credentials come big money opportunities, but also huge contradictions. How can you call yourself a street artist when your work is hanging in a gallery or depicted in an auction catalogue or emblazoned on a promotional T-shirt? When ad agencies are employ graffiti artists to make their products look cool, doesn’t your guerrilla artist implode?
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Already, Banksy’s pseudo-anonymity has come to seem less of a necessity to avoid prosecution for his years of paintinflicted property damage and more a ploy to maintain his aura as international man of mystery. It may also backfire on him, as fraudulent Bansky prints have been peddled on eBay and any number of unscrupulous art dealers continue to sell secondhand Banksies as though they’re his official agents, when in fact he has only one (gallery owner Steve Lazarides). In spite of the circling wannabes, a whole street art industry is forming around young galleries and artists selling prints and unique pieces. So, while the current boom may have begun with Banksy, his witty one-liners won’t be the last word in street art.
Left: Artist Jet Li with Los Angeles mural behind
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Maybe journalists can finally stop looking for Banksy and start searching for the next unsung urban pariah turned poet.
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Left: Anonymos New York Mural Below: Andrew Summo in L.A. Right: Joe Rojas mural in Brazil.
It all began in the mid-1980s as London’s hip hop scene – also imported from New York – began to grow, especially in inner-city areas such as Brixton and Westbourne Grove. Small brigades of writers began tagging their names all over town, with pseudonyms like Robbo and Drax (taken from James Bond’s enemy in ‘Moonraker’) seemingly ubiquitous on every tube line. The most famous was Mode 2, who set up the first renowned graffiti crew, the Chrome Angelz. Soon, designated graffiti ‘halls of fame’ sprang up in housing estates and train yards from Hammersmith to Neasden. By 1987 the British Transport Police (the dreaded BTP) had launched a fully fledged graf squad to keep pace with the rampant crews, whose burgeoning membership meant they were capable of producing huge full-colour ‘pieces’ (short for masterpieces) or muralsized ‘productions’. As in-fighting between London’s graffiti kings escalated from merely ‘lining’ through or ‘dogging’ rival pieces to all-out violence and eventual arrest, famous crews like World Domination (WD), the Subway Saints (SBS) and Drop the Bomb (DTB) began to fracture and splinter. Many of those London pioneers went on to paint legal commissions and are at the heart of today’s scene, although the average street artist may be too young to have 9 | art magazine
paid serious dues as an illegal ‘bomber’. If history really is repeating itself, then the London graffiti scene will crash and burn as the New York one did after the ’80s art boom. In which case, it’s possible that only a few devotees will continue to make serious work and street art will go back underground, but the sophistication of today’s artists makes it more likely they will be around for years, perhaps even crossing over into the respectability of museum collections and art books. Maybe journalists can finally stop looking for Banksy and start searching out the next unsung urban pariah-turned-poet. What differentiates street art and graffiti writing from the symbols of the outside world is the lack of a logical conclusion to the viewing process. Unlike all other symbols that we encounter in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual. They say, “Think about this” as opposed to “Do this.” In this way, when we look at art forms that have been illegally placed on in the outside world, illegal art in the street does not exist to instruct us in any practical way. Of course, much street art is morally instructive, but the propositions are conceptual.
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ur
A look at the streets, its art, and the artists that help give it life. by megan reynolds
ban art