Hey there, I just got back from a short residency down in a small town two hours north of Mexico City called Tequisquiapan. I was asked to come down there to meet some of the crew of the Clipperton Project, which basically is going to be a crazy boat trip in March with scientists and artists going out to a very remote atoll in the Pacific called Clipperton Island. Anyways, I thought you might like to see some photos of the town and the graffiti that I was surprised to find there.
I found this whole crew of kids working on this wall on the outskirts of Tequisquiapan. I guess this huge wall borders a guys house, he said he invited these guys to come paint it and that he would rather have that then the political paintings that usually get painted on it without his permission.
This was a spot where people used to wash their laundry. Supposedly there is a place in every town in Mexico where people see the ghost of a woman who drowned her own son to revenge her cheating husband. This is where people have seen her in Tequisquiapan
Alan and I also taught some painting workshops at a local school.
When an old political group is ousted, they just put a small X over it.
Whether you like the style or not, these dudes in Sao Paulo are freakin' brave. Not only is the climbing dangerous, but the police and others have been known to kill pixadores when caught.
If you've been, you know how covered Sao Paulo is in this sort of graffiti done by some of the poorest young city dwellers/ motoboys. ~Check our latest visit.
Australian Anthony Lister was in SF recently for the Young and Free show which opened last week at 941 Geary. Below is a lil' video of Anthony being Anthony while here in SF working on the show and murals about town.
This Australian couple, now living in Los Angeles, collaborate on every piece of art they create. Splitting their works between acrylic on canvas and the murals in the streets, they're participating in the Australian street art show Young & Free: Australian Contemporary Street Artists opening up at 941 Geary on September 10th. We emailed them a few questions as they wrap up their work for the show.
So you've been in LA via Melbourne, Australia for 2 years now... How has the transition been?
It’s been great! We really love it in Los Angeles...quite quickly it felt like home here, which was something we didn't expect! But the transition was really smooth for us. After a few months to settle, and just once we wrapped our heads around some of the small differences like allowing 40 minuets to get somewhere - even if its 5 miles away -and learning to use inches and feet over centimeters and meters!
What have been some of the pluses and minuses of being in LA?
There is definitely more pluses than minuses! I think the main pluses are the weather and the people. We have met so many great people here that have become very close friends. And the constant sunshine and blue skies is just ridiculous! I don't think we will ever get sick of that!
Do you consider LA your permanent home now?
At the moment, yes. We can definitely see ourselves being here for many more years...But you never know what the universe has in store.
It seems that your works are divided between murals and paintings. Which came first?
It was different for both of us. I started painting graffiti in the mid 1990's. I had been painting pieces for years before returning to Art School and learned how to paint with acrylics.
Myla on the other hand, had been painting with a brush for most of her life, and it wasn't until we met that she started using spray paint.
Which medium works best to translate your work? Walls with spray paint or brushes while creating paintings?
I'm not sure... We really love painting graffiti and it’s such a big part of our overall influence and style. Painting graffiti letters is so important to us, and we love painting big characters on walls too. The way we go about painting with spray paint is similar to our brush paintings, but also completely different.
The characters are the same, and the content, but outside we paint with heavy lines and strong bold colors. Whereas on our paintings with acrylic, its a lot softer and harmonious approach. With subtle colors and no outlines...and we love working that way too!
NYC graffiti legend SEEN just made our week as he and Mars-1 just stopped by FFDG to check out Shawn Barber's show Youth of Today. The guy practically invented graffiti in the 70s. Yikes.
THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW @111 Minna Gallery --> Collaborative show between LA graffiti writer RISK and illustrator Nathan Ota - In a career spanning 28 years, RISK has impacted the evolution of graffiti as an art form worldwide. Risk is one of the most prolific graffiti artists to date. Los Angeles based, RISK gained major notoriety for his unique style and pushed the limits of graffiti further than any writer in L.A. had before. 111 Minna St @2nd 5pm-late
Illustrator Nathan Ota and LA based graffiti writer RISK
Tahiti Pehrson @Ever Gold --> For his new body of work and first solo exhibition at Ever Gold Gallery, Tahiti Pehrson will be presenting layered monochromatic three-dimensional paper pieces that play off of shadows and light, creating dramatic scenes. Pehrson shows his edge a seasoned veteran in an increasingly popular medium by producing works of staggering detail. 441 O'Farrell St. 6-10pm
Zoltron emailed over some photos and text of how his wheat pasted Ronald took on a life of its own over the course of a couple weeks. His words below.
Somehow I found myself involved in a spontaneous, public art project that organically unfolded over the last couple of weeks in sf.
For the hell of it, I was drawing a famous clown named Ronald (as a junky villain derelict,) but somewhere along the way, I saw a glint of compassion in his eyes. So the drawing ended up showing Ron suddenly caught in an existential crisis of sorts... Like he just realized that he was solely responsible for the death of hundreds of millions of cows. Maybe he suddenly understood that he was fueling massive rainforest destruction and undeniably accountable for child obesity and onset adolescent diabetes.
So I drew him, printed him out, mixed up some pigment and painted on some paper. Then I pasted him up in a foodie district in the mission. The following photographs were taken over the next 2 weeks.
the aging clown experiences an unexpected moment of clarity.
a few days later, someone (equipped with at least 4 colors of aerosol) wasn't amused. "fuck you, hipster scum." Right on point, oh disgruntled youth.
a public forum concluded that it was obviously the work of a certain masked villain. (humburglar was later arrested for defacing public art)
Only hipsters use words like "Hipster."
a few days later, a stencil party ensues.
followed by a confirmed metric fuckton of unadorned radness.
and finally.... according to the local shopkeep, the entire wall is "archived for historical significance." ..
Join us next week, as we discuss vegan soy lattes and their effect on the youth of America. - Zoltron
Last Saturday, June 11th, was Swampy's solo show at Fifty24SF. The show was just a one day art show (a lot of work for one night show), but we were able to get a quick peak today before they started cleaning it up.
A fake wall misleads what you're about to witness. Looks like a tiny gallery space, but there's more than meets the eye.
Lift this painting to be taken to the back room where the magic happens... or should say happened.
I guess my graffiti is a sorta paired down version of traditional graffiti...without all the doo-dads. My gallery work takes the same ideas combined with found wood, and collage.
Influences?
Early on, back in the '90s it was Mike Giant...his work got me into graffiti. Robert Rauschenberg was my art hero through college. I loved his junk collages. Lately i'm super inspired by things outside of painting; architecture, furniture design, . . . my dad.
Cheese burgers or tofu burgers?
Tofu Burgers, all day.
Working Routine? Music? Time of Day?
I hit the 9 to 5 all day...come home, eat, then spend the rest of the evening in my art studio. Music...lately i've been listening to Son House.
After seeing photos of the tagged mural, Cassady, a professional art conservator, volunteered to come to the corner of Frankford Avenue and Norris Street two days per week to remove the graffiti.
How many people used to think what an eye sore Obey Giant was back pre Obama poster days... Lady, you're cleaning graffiti off graffiti. It's like taking the pianist and double bass out of a jazz trio because the drummer is famous.
London artist INSA is known for his sexually charged images of women intermixed with design influences through graphitti and fashion. He has a line of womens heels including a line of Nike Dunk Heels as well (seriously).
His show MORE opens Thursday @Fifty24SF featuring 9 new provocative works, with INSA utilizing media such as sculpture and lights adding to the “glamour” of his work. The exhibition will also feature an exclusive SF edition of INSA’s classic “Heel” print and a selection of photographic prints.
Fresh off his first solo show in NYC, 'THIS CITY WILL EAT ME ALIVE', this Australian transplant and aerosol wizard, Kid Zoom, answers a few our questions to get a lil' better perspective on how this young talent ticks.
Ron English called him Rembrandt with a Spray Can... He's damn talented.
How has the transition to NYC from Australia been so far? How long have you been in the States?
I moved over in May. The transition has been amazing, the winter is taking a little adjusting, but it's been a great experience, I feel really at home in New York.
Why are Australians so cool?
We have a culturally ingrained system of ego destruction called tall poppy syndrome, which basically cuts anyone who's head rises above the crowd off at the knees. It helps keep us all pretty down to earth, but it's a blessing and a curse, especially when you're in a creative field.
How do you feel about Ron English giving you such a glowing recommendation? That's got to feel pretty good.
Ron has been someone I've looked up to for a long time and to have him be so supportive of my move to New York and of my work has been amazing and very surreal.
Wow, what 24 hours will do with a small section of wall space.
Henry Gunderson adds his mural. Someone goes over it and later that night even more people go over him (or her) and the saga of the small wall space on Divisadero continues... What's next?
I’ve been painting graffiti since 1996. I concentrate most of my efforts toward freight trains. I paint with the intent of pairing down traditional graffiti letter forms to their most basic forms, but lately I've been exploring other mediums, constructing letters out of paper and wood as well. Mainly I'm just pushing myself to think about graffiti in new ways.
A bunch of Mission district businesses here in SF (Mike Giant, Benny Gold, Joshy D, and others) got together to put together a Mission Map of businesses you should check out. Map and app release party goes down Saturday @111 Minna in SF (7-10pm)... We just moved FFDG to the Mission and didn't make the 1st version to be included. There are talks of a future V2 release.
We still have a few prints left from the MCD show @FFDG. 4 color silk screens from the likes of Jeremy Fish, Aiyana Udesen, Matt Furie, and others for $75.
Say hi to Fecal Face & FFDG's new intern, Alexander Uhrich, who's in his last year at SFAI. He has to put in 90 hours of work, so you'll be seeing a lot of him.
Check his site to check his photography... Mucho eye entertainment to be viewed.
Hey, if you're a Tumblr fan, Fecal Face is on there as well. We'll be posting a taste of what you see here on the site... Tumblr was nice enough to give us fecalface.tumblr.com since someone had it but never made a post on it... You know what? Wonder if we claimed it years back and forgot about it. Hum.
Ryan Wallace & Chris Duncan open Transmission Lines in Toronto at Cooper Cole Gallery Friday, Feb 3rd.
Wallace and Duncan's linear variations of shape explore the margins of time and space while echoing the unstable tension between vision, perception, and reflection. Both artists explore a variety of materials to great visual effect. ~complete show details.
Ever Gold in SF opens a month long residency with Josh Short'sBomb Shelter Radio and Tenderloin Self- Defense Club tonight, Thurs (6-10pm). Check the video for a complete picture of what to expect.
Over the course of his residency at Ever Gold Gallery, Josh Short will build "Bomb Shelter Radio" and host several live sonic events that will include experimental noise transmissions, live metal and hardcore bands, and subversive FM radio interventions. This will also be aided by guerrilla public installations of radios installed around the Tenderloin bringing his interventions directly to the street as a form of audio graffiti. During the day the gallery will become the "Tenderloin Self-Defense Club", where Short will offer martial arts instruction to the neighborhood inhabitants, artists, and musicians. ~show details
In the days following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, I was asked to make a poster for the Devo show at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. The image was a Japanese girl, wearing a nuclear t shirt, with the kanji character for earth tattooed on her shoulder. She was dead. I called her Sue Nami, and much to my surprise, the band liked it. ~keep reading Zolton's story of Sue.
The rain came down hard on the 20th but people came through to view the massive show featuring works from Albert Reyes, Aiyana Udesen, and Matt Furie. The show runs through Feb 11th.
LA based artist/ designer Tony Larson updates his portfolio site with loads of eye candy... We've known Tony for years. You may know him through the many years he designed boards for Girl Skateboards. --> Want to get to know him? Check this interview for a taste of Tony.
The Eames Office - Producer and Editor Daniel Ostroff, talks about two Girl Skateboard decks in the Collecting Eames.
I designed the Modern Chair Series for Girl in 2001. They have, by far, been the most asked about boards I've ever done. Pretty funny to see how they've survived. -Tony Larson
Last week we did our first themed Photo of the Day asking you to email in your quintessential San Francisco photos. We got so many great entries and couldn't squeeze them all in. So, here's a bit of overflow from the images emailed in.
Hey there, I just got back from a short residency down in a small town two hours north of Mexico City called Tequisquiapan. I was asked to come down there to meet some of the crew of the Clipperton Project, which basically is going to be a crazy boat trip in March with scientists and artists going out to a very remote atoll in the Pacific called Clipperton Island. Anyways, I thought you might like to see some photos of the town and the graffiti that I was surprised to find there.
We can finally shut up about FFDG's fire, about FFDG's temp space, about all the transitions, because we signed a 2 year lease on a new space in the heart of the Mission District last night!
Real Ethereal embraces our mysterious relationship with life. It blends the physical with the metaphysical on a journey through an ever-transitioning space where common interactions become extraordinary and perception ventures into the otherworldly. Real Ethereal examines possibilities of unseen realities and metaphorically represents the winding path that reveals before us and conceals behind us; the future remains a mystery while the past fades quickly into the recesses of our mind. We are left with the present: the mysterious reality of our existence; the hair of time difficult to grasp.
Recent UC Santa Cruz photography graduate Sean Vranizan emailed over this series of images he creates by using a scanner as a camera, upon which found and collected objects, both two-dimensional and three, were used in collage format.
SF based artists Alex Ziv & Quinn Arneson are in their final year at the San Francisco Art Institute and open the two person show UNIBROW: BRIDGING THE GAP Thursday, Dec 8th at Gallery Heist.
Great new video by Philadelphia based director Tobias Stretch whose videos feature his puppet work - If you have some time, browse his other great bizarre dreamlike videos.
A few November weekends back, I headed down with Travis Millard and Jim Dirschberger for o Breaks, a group show curated by Jay Howell and Louis Schmidt, which opened 11.11.11 at Double Break store and gallery in San Diego, CA.
Before the show it was pretty much just me and Pacolli painting the whole gallery and doing all the instalations and hanging all the work. lots of shit to be done. I also painted the front of Choque the week after the opening. And we had a little concert at Choque in which I played keyboard and two other folks played guitar and sang. Ephameron went there the day before the opening and did a tape installation as well. During the month we also had a zine/print/shirt sale at Choque as well. It all went very well and we had a blast! -Mildred
I am dealing with a new series called "Pseudo-Advertising", where I focus upon the relationship between todays muralism and the contemporary outdoor advertising.
Last week, after swinging by Rebel 8 clothing's HQ in San Francisco, we swung by the HQ of Strange Bird Distribution distributors of Low Card, Think Skateboards, Hubba Wheels, etc...
Stopped through Rebel 8 clothing HQ last week to see what their up to. We've known Joshy D. 10 plus years back when he was doing the SF graffiti site, HiFiArt.com in the early days of the internet when Fecal Face was just getting its start. Nice to see Mike Giant, whose designs adjorn many of Rebel 8's clothing, and Josh doing so well.
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