The South Bronx history documented

"It was one of the worst times, but it was the best time," said Franscisco Molina Reyes II in the "Voices of Seis del Sur" documentary. This 10 minute interview brings to life, in words and moving image, the exhibition subtitled, "Dispatches from home by six Boricua photographers."

Ricky Flores, Edwin Pagán, Joe Conzo, Jr, Angel Franco, David Gonzalez, Francisco Molina Reyes II (credit: Adi Talwar)

The opening last month, at the Bronx Documentary Center, brought together many cultural ambassadors of the South Bronx. Of particular interest to this blog was the "Steel Canvases" panel discussion featuring graffiti legends, Crash, Nicer and Bio from Tats Cru and Henry Chalfont, co-author of Subway Art. See the video below.

"I grew up in the South Bronx during the '60s, '70s and '80s, probably during one of the most turbulent time in the city. There was rapid transformation from a community heavy populated by blacks and Latinos, to being aggressively depopulated over a short period of time in the '60s and '70s...Building after building, block after block started disappearing. I didn't understand what was going on at the time..." Ricky Flores, photographer

"The Bronx was burning, or as I like to say, the Bronx was burnt. Drugs were rampant, gangs were rampant, but the family community aspect was very, very tight..." Joe Conzo, photographer and author

Crash painting (credit: David Gonzalez/New York Times)

"If it wasn't for him [Henry Chalfont] and Marty [Martha Cooper] what's happened globally wouldn't have happened because there was no Internet, no nothing. It was just us...Their thing had nothing to with money...it was the love for what we were doing and it's very evident in the photographs... 

The first time I went to Europe they were bombing all over Amsterdam and it was because of the fact they had these books out. If it wasn't for the books...we wouldn't be sitting here today. We built it and the books underlined it. They put the stamp on it." John "Crash" Matos, artist

Seis del Sur: Dispatches From Home by Six Nuyorican Photographers
Photographs by Joe Conzo, Jr, Ricky Flores, Angel Franco, David Gonzalez, Edwin Pagán, Francisco Molina Reyes II

614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.) Bronx, New York 10451
Directions

Opening Reception January 19th, 4PM
Runs January 19- March 8, 2013
Gallery hours:
Thur.-Fri. 4-7pm
Sat-Sun 1-5pm

Going back in time...Fashion Moda

Before Patti Astor's Fun Gallery came Fashion Moda. And rather than bring uptown artists to downtown, Fashion Moda nutured artists from the South Bronx.

This Saturday, two artists who exhibited at Fashion Moda decades ago will celebrate its history. The Bronx Documentary Center will host photographer, Lisa Kahane, and artist, Jane Dickson who will screen her film of her 1980 cardboard installation, named "City Maze."  This collaboration between Dickson and graffiti artist, Crash, was originally installed in Fashion Moda. This was the start of the hip hop connection with the installation space. The picture above shows Crash's new signage painted in 1981.

Since it closed in 1993, Fashion Moda has been recognized for "its role in connecting the graffiti artists living in the city’s boroughs with the downtown fine arts world." After the City Maze installation, Crash went on to produce the first graffiti show at Fashion Moda in late 1980. Entitled, "GAS," short for "Graffiti Art Success for America," Crash brought together the now familiar names Futura, Lady Pink, Lee and Zephyr.

Source: powerhousearena.com via Gabriela on Pinterest

Bronx Documentary Center
614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.)
Bronx
New York 10451

"Fashion Moda" opens at 7.30pm on February 16th.
$7 adults; $5 students; free for under 18s.

Normal hours:
Thursday and Friday 4-7PM
Saturday and Sunday 1-5PM

Crash presents new subway inspired paintings

Crash has featured in some of the biggest graffiti art shows of our time - Whole in the Wall at Helenbeck and Art in the Streets at MoCA to name two I've been to.

His latest show, entitled Remnant Memories, opens on Friday 24th February and is a more modest affair hosted by Toy Tokyo in New York. But, this solo show will feature new works and a new aesthetic with paintings on aluminum and metal cutouts, watercolors and serigraphs. Expect to see Crash's distinctive comic book styling and bright cheerful color schemes. Go check it out if you're in town!

"This new group of paintings for my series, “Remnant Memories”, comes from my leaning on my early paintings on the subways for inspiration for my paintings on canvas through out my career.

The subways bring a rush of memories to mind, every time I see a photograph of that period and I felt a desire of honoring that time in my life.

The aluminum pieces were built and cutout by my friend, Metal Man Ed for this specific concept. I am also showing a group watercolors and silkscreen as part of the exhibition that are a tribute to my time on the subways…" Crash, John Matos

 Here's a video from a Crash show from France. You don't need a translator - they're saying "Crash is dope!" Mais oui!

"Blurring the Lines" old skool #graffiti show...LA

It seems that 40,000 sq feet of street art isnt enough for Roger Gastman, co-curator of the MOCA "Art in the Streets" exhibition currently open in Los Angeles. He's spread its wings and curated an overspill show in Culver City in a more modest space.

Saturday night, Corey Helford Gallery opens its “Blurring the Lines" exhibition. This is the gallery’s first exhibition of "graffiti art masters." With so many already represented in DTLA it must've been hard to chose just three legendary artists. The lucky trio are CRASH (NYC,) FREEDOM (NYC) and RISK (LA.)

"'Blurring the Lines' is a dynamic intersection of legendary East and West coast writers, where the lines that divide urban art and the new contemporary fine art world converge." Corey Helford Gallery

The public reception for “Blurring the Lines” will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 7 to 10pm, and the show will be on view until May 18, 2011.

Read more about the artists below - information from Corey Helford Gallery's press release.

"Renowned New York graffiti artists CRASH and FREEDOM will take over the main floor with recent works inspired by their iconic imagery that was shown along alongside art luminaries Jean-Michel Basquiat, FUTURA, and Keith Haring during the 80s. A master at subway art, CRASH was also one in a handful of New York writers who painted murals on the streets during the early 80s while exhibiting at prestigious galleries worldwide. At the same time, FREEDOM moved into a larger space in Manhattan, an abandoned two mile stretch of tunnel designed by Robert Moses that would become the legendary Freedom Tunnel, launching a sixteen-year run of world-famous paintings and drawings.

For his first major gallery exhibition in almost twenty years, FREEDOM notes, “While CRASH and I have worked together over the years, this will be our first gallery exhibition together since 1987, which is exciting.” Upstairs in the loft, famed Los Angeles graffiti artist RISK, whose bus installation is prominently featured outside of “Art in the Streets” at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA, will unveil “Styles for Miles”. Created on canvases constructed from vintage license plates, RISK’s new works represent his graffiti career as whole, tying together elements from his origins writing on freeway overpasses to his commercial projects and gallery and museum exhibitions." Corey Helford Gallery

Artists' biographies
  
Chris Pape / FREEDOM
Born in 1960, Chris Pape began painting trains as a teenager in New York, and in 1979, he adopted his worldfamous moniker FREEDOM. Pape began exhibiting in galleries in the early 80s showing with CRASH, Jean Michel Basquiat, FUTURA and others. In 1989, with the emergence of the “Mole People”, he chose to abandon his gallery career and focus on painting and drawing the homeless known as the Freedom Tunnel series. In 1996 the tunnel was closed off and the artist painted his final work titled “Buy American”. Considered by many to be the leading archivist of the New York subway graffiti movement, Pape reemerged as an author and filmmaker, continuing to paint commissions based on the eclectic works in the Freedom Tunnel for collectors worldwide.

John Matos / CRASH
Growing up in the Bronx, John Matos began his career at the early age of 13. He was first noticed through his murals on subway cars and dilapidated buildings. As he got older, he transferred his art from the street to canvases and has exhibited his work in museums worldwide. In 1996 Matos painted a signature Stratocaster for musician Eric Clapton and gave it to the artist as a gift. Clapton used this guitar throughout his 2001 tour. In total Matos has created five guitars for Clapton and was commissioned by Fender Musical Instruments for 50 guitars he titled the “Crashocasters.” Today Matos is not only recognized as a fine artist, he is also regarded as a pioneer of the graffiti movement. Matos’ work is included in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, New York, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn as well as private collections worldwide. For more information about the artist, please visit crashone.com.

Kelly Graval / RISK
In a career spanning 29 years, RISK has impacted the evolution of graffiti as an art form in Los Angeles and worldwide. RISK gained major notoriety for his unique style and pushed the limits of graffiti further than any writer in L.A. had before: He was one of the first writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on “heavens,” or freeway overpasses. At the peak of his career he took graffiti from the streets and into the gallery with the launch of the Third Rail series of art shows, and later parlayed the name into the first authentic line of graffiti inspired clothing. RISK has continued to work on numerous Hollywood projects for movie and music video sets, including the film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and videos for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Bad Religion and Michael Jackson. Today, RISK is still involved with graffiti, surrounding himself with writers and supporting them in their art, and exhibiting at galleries and museums worldwide. For more information about the artist, please visit riskrock.com.

Martha Cooper redux #ArtInTheStreets

Martha Cooper (credit: Hypebeast)

For next week's "Art in the Streets" exhibition at MOCA Martha Cooper is reunited with her Subway Art cohort, Henry Chalfont (albeit in separate rooms.) Although, this museum show is a major achievement, what could be considered a more ambitious project involving her work is happening in 'midtown' LA.

"Martha Cooper: Remix" is a mixed media show of her photos and on display at Carmichael Gallery in Culver City. As the name suggests the show involves taking her classic and well-known images and having them remixed by artists whom she has photographed or worked with over the years. Think of a 'who's who' of east coast graffiti artists: Bio, Nicer and B-Gee (TATS Cru,) Blade, Cey, Claw, Crash, Daze, Dr. Revolt, Futura, Lady Pink, Mare 139, Quik, Sharp and T-Kid. They are joined by John Ahearn (Charlie's brother,) Aiko, Mark Bode, Victor Castillo, Jane Dickson, Shepard Fairey, Logan Hicks, The London Police, Barry McGee, Nazza Stencil, Neck Face, Nunca, José Parlá, Kenny Scharf, Swoon and more.

The outcome is surprising, exciting and has produced some captivating images...

(credits: Hypebeast)

Read a great article about Martha Cooper and the show written by New York's Miss Rosen published by La Lettre de la Photographie.

“Artists I have had relationships with over the years and I thought it would be fun to have them make their own art that was based on my photos. Over the years a lot of artists have asked for permission to use my photographs in some form or another. While some photographers might not like this, I always felt flattered. Over the years I have seen a lot of flyers that have used my pictures in various ways. It is heartwarming to see a new generation of people using my work to make art.” Martha Cooper interviewed in La Lettre de la Photographie

Graffiti icon Crash's solo show “Works of Paper 1980–2010” in New York

Last week, the graffiti artist, Crash, painted with TATS Cru "on a silhouette image of an old IRT “redbird” subway car" as a homage to the steel canvas Crash used to paint in his 80s heyday.

But, instead of the train yards, this painting event was in the East Village to celebrate a historic exhibition in a pop-up gallery called Dorian Grey Gallery created, seemingly overnight, to house a retrospective of Crash's work.

Giant Robot is dead, long live Dorian Grey Gallery (credit: EV Grieve)

30 paintings in Crash's inimitable style from the 1980s-2010 were brought together. What was unique was that these paintings were on paper - drawings and watercolors - which is unexplored in Crash's larger, more recognizable murals.

This is one (temporary) highlight for a neighborhood which has experienced its share of the economic downturn (as captured in EV Grieve's blog.) 

Two weeks to go  Dorian Grey Gallery is located at 437 East 9^th Street @ Avenue A. Tel: 516-244-4126. The show runs from October 7 – 24, 2010. Gallery Hours are published as 11 am to 6 pm, Tuesday – Sunday, but please call and check.

"ABOUT CRASH: Born and still living and working in Bronx, New York, CRASH (John Matos) began his career at the early age of 13, creating dramatic murals on subway cars and dilapidated buildings that help swan the worldwide graffiti and street art movement.  As his style matured, CRASH transferred his artistic aspiration from the street to canvases and on rare occasions paper. 

Pivotal exhibitions include one-man shows at the Sidney Janis Gallery and Martin Lawrence Modern. Since then, his work has been included in the permanent collection of contemporary art institutions including MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, as well as numerous private collections worldwide. 

In 1996, Matos painted a signature Fender Stratocaster guitar as a gift for Eric Clapton which has led to a partnership with the guitar maker to create a limited edition of “Crashocaster” guitars. The artist also currently creates custom art guitars for John Mayer." Dorian Grey Gallery

"Whole in the Wall," Helenbeck Gallery

I went to see the last day of the "Whole in the Wall" show in Helenbeck Gallery, midtown Manhattan. As I wandered around the huge, but empty gallery space I saw works from the New York greats: Blade, Daze, Lee Quinones, Quik and Rammellzee. They seemed alone in such a big gallery and a little soul-less compared to the packed scene at the launch party.

Star spotter Things liven up as Crash arrives and hangs out with the galleryowners and is soon joined by Sharp. The doorman (Sharp's godfather) helps me get their tags for my collection. These are guys are New York graffiti illuminati if you don't know!

Antiquities The most interesting room was on the second floor. A room that brought together the "old and new masters" featuring French 17th- and 18th-Century (reproduction Louis XVI) furniture...all gold and baroque shapes counter-balanced by bright chaotic works from Sharp.