Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Street artists and Vandals

There is a Vandal in Williamsburg...not this kind of vandal, who smashes windows to bust into your car, which I saw while riding down Roebling Street yesterday.

Nope this Vandal,

A radio controlled giraffe writes Vandal with a paint brush in its mouth on the Roebling Tea house in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

This is the work of legendary street artist from Bristol U.K, Banksy. Most famously known for this piece in Brighton of two cops making out.

The stencil artist has become so well know for his creations that people were arrested for painting over one of the pieces and charged with criminal damage.

More of his work can be scene here:
artofthestate
and
Banksy.com
This is big money for these contemporary artists. Banksy was in town to sell some art at a big auction house, according to Animalnewyork.com. Oh yeah, he does work on canvas since its hard getting giant city walls sold off, unless your a big time developer. While in NYC, the artist was able to put up a couple more pieces around.

Like this one in Williamsburg on South 3rd St.
Razorapple a great photo blog on NYC street culture has a nice report on these antics including artist who paint with fire extinguishers and paint enormous male members on our city walls.

I guess proximity is also playing a role in these street artists affairs. Shepard Fairy, the obey guy who started by placing Andre the Giant has a posse stickers all over the world, has parled his work into a major operation. His street team is still at it and I noticed these two pieces in the hood on my little impromptu street art exploration.



Zipcar, the hip car rental company, asked the artist in a news letter if he wanted to get involved in some cross-promotion. Why? cause he put up his art near where people pick up zip cars? He could just as easily do something for King Kog, the bike shop in which he put this piece up. Seems like he's more down with a better environment and focusing our dependence on oil with art like this on Broadway, near Union Square.

Notice the couple in the background making out.

Here's another nice piece done by neither artist, near King Kog on Hope Street...look I somehow made this bicycle related:


Now remember this is "ART," and not your repetitive random graffiti tagging which the Mayor will send his clean up team for.

Which does nothing but make fresh canvases for the future Harings, Basquiat, Banksy and Fairy's of the future.

Banksy had a nice comment on graffiti removal...Photo by Greenwood100 from flickr

Perhaps these art projects on walls are the future cave paintings giving insight into a primitive society. Personally I find them more creative and pleasing to the eye then when you randomly turn a corner as see something like this...

to sell underwear. (photo by: Equalizer on flickr.com.)

Labels: , ,

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

awesome post. thanks.
j

10:23 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

The piece on the roebling tea house as well as the vandal piece are both by Nick Walker, not BANKSY.

2:22 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home