Giftin' #4: Obey x Haring clothing collection 2012

I'm a sucker for dope old skool reduxes. For my #4 Christmas shopping list post here's my latest obsession. Keith Haring resurrected by Obey. Now it's really, an old addiction renewed as I first discovered Haring when I was a teen in Bristol in the '80s. My fandom reached its height when I got to first visit the Pop Shop in New York's Soho just before he passed away.

I still have a couple of Haring Swatches in my collection and a dope, but bright aqua-colored jacket with a Haring snake embroidered on the back. For Christmas 2012 I have a couple of these Obey pieces on my list. A great, retrospective interpretation of Keith Haring's art.

Here's a selection of items available at Obey Clothing.

(Berlin) Wall Project - Berlin to Los Angeles

Berlin/L.A. Wall, 2009 (credit: Wende Museum)

The Berlin Wall fell in November 9th, 1989. Twenty years later, on November 8th, 2009 a section was permanently resurrected on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles by Los Angeles' Wende Museum. Watch the documentary below to hear from Germans what happened in their country.

Fast forward to to 2012  Driving along Wilshire near LACMA and it's easy to forget that the Wall installation is the largest piece of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany. These 10 sections of the Wall are nearly 40-foot long, but are easily blocked by food trucks lined up opposite the LACMA.

During a visit to the LACMA "Through the Mic series," I had a chance to walk around the Wall. On the street side, you see sections of wall painted by different artists. None of them instantly recognizable to me.
On the opposite side, the Wall reveals three other artists. All of whom are world-renowned street artists: Herakut (Germany), Retna (Los Angeles) and DFace (London.) And overshadowing the Wall is a glass-fronted building with a new installation from Retna. To see it at night, glowing from the lights, is memerizing.

Wall Project and Retna building, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

The Wende Museum
Open to the public Monday - Thursday by appointment only from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. (except on holidays). To schedule an appointment, call 310-216-1600 x305 or e-mail ccuevaswolf@wendemuseum.org.

The Museum is open without appointment on Fridays from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and a tour of the Museum’s vault is offered every Friday at 3 P.M. Admission is free.

Group Visits
For visits by groups of ten or larger please call to arrange an appointment: 310-216-1600 x305

5741 Buckingham Parkway, Suite E
Culver City, CA. 90230

Try Obey if you can't wait for "Art in the Streets" #ArtInTheStreets

This week is the run up to the luge (large x huge) "Art in the Streets" exhibition at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in LA. If you can't wait, as a warm up you can still see Obey's show on the other side of town.

The exhibition entitled, "REVOLUTIONS - The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey," kicked off in March and runs until April 23, 2011 briefly overlapping with the MOCA show.

The show is a collaboration between Obey Giant Art, Subliminal Projects and Robert Berman Gallery features over 80 artwork album covers that take inspiration from Fairey's favorite punk, rock, new wave, jazz, and hip hop artists to produce artworks in 12" record cover format. For all the collectors there are two limited-edition album cover print box sets available.

I think we can all relate to how music has shaped our interest in the culture of that era or generation. Shepard Fairey explains his personal journey and why he chose to do this particular art series.

"Long before I knew about art galleries or even street art, I was excited about album cover art, if only because it was the visual counterpart to the music on the records.  Album covers conjured a euphoric association with the listening experience. Most of my earliest home-made tee shirts were stencils based on punk album covers. I've had some very moving encounters with art in my life, especially in the street, but nothing can compare with the first time I heard the boots marching and first chord of the Sex Pistols' "Holidays in the Sun," or the air raid sirens leading into "too black, too strong" on Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, or the opening guitar scream of Black Flag's "Rise Above". That music makes my arm hairs stand up.

"Music is visceral and accessible, but also  has the additional powerful layers of the lyrics with their content and politics, the style and personalities of the musicians, and the politics of their lifestyles. No matter how much I love art, or try to convince myself of its relevance in society, the fact remains that music is a lot cooler and way more able to reach people's hearts and minds... but I'm a populist and I look at this way: I may not play an instrument, but I'm gonna rock it hard as nails anyway. REVOLUTIONS is a celebration of all the great music and accompanying art that has inspired me over the years.” Shepard Fairey

ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY
At Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 michigan avenue, Suite C2/D5
Santa Monica, California 90404

+1 310.315.9506
www.robertbermangallery.com

L.A.'s Retna goes old skool with one-off monotype prints

Rivera & Rivera has shown Retna's work in the recent past in its downtown Los Angeles gallery. But, this time it has stepped up the game with something unique and limited.

Imagine Retna's lettering and brushwork painted onto glass and then "pressed" to paper. This is monotyping which dates back to the 17th century! With monotyping only a single print - a monotype - is produced because most of the ink is removed during the initial pressing. Anyone who's seen Claudio Stickar, (who has worked for Frank Gehry, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg) will be able to vouch for how good these prints will be.

"RETNA really needs no introduction. He's fresh off an explosive 15-page feature and cover of September's Juxtapoz magazine with a glowing introduction by MOCA's new director- Jeffrey Deitch. Last week, RETNA finished a commission at the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan towers alongside of Kenny Scharf and Shepard Fairey, and, this week, he's in Detroit painting alongside of Richard Colman for the Juxtapoz x Power House restoration project. RETNA is also slated for a solo show at Primary Flight during Art Basel Miami. Needless to say, he's staying quite busy ahead of his participation in the 2011 MOCA exhibit (See recent Financial Times coverage here)." Rivera & Rivera

Raid the piggy bank If you have $1,800 spare you can get your hands on one of these monotypes at 1200 PST tomorrow, Friday 22nd October.

Just head over to Rivera & Rivera. The price covers taxes and insured second day shipping within the continental United States. All orders are fulfilled from Los Angeles, California

Obey...May Day, May Day

Obey has a new show in New York this May at Deitch Projects. To coincide he has a pop-up store opening this Friday 30th April that will have a wide range of his affordable, but well-made apparel for boys and girls.

Go check it out the show and the store if you live in the five boroughs!

"Deitch Projects is pleased to present May Day, an exhibition of new work by Shepard Fairey, as its final project. Titled not only in reference to the day of the exhibition’s opening, the multiple meanings of May Day resonate throughout the artist's new body of work. Originally a celebration of spring and the rebirth it represents, May Day is also observed in many countries as International Worker's Day or Labor Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations coordinated by unions and socialist groups. “Mayday” is also the distress signal used by pilots, police and firefighters in times of emergency.

With energy and urgency befitting the title May Day, Fairey captures the radical spirit of each of his subjects, using portraiture to celebrate some of the artists, musicians and political activists he most admires. Says Fairey, 'These people I'm portraying were all revolutionary, in one sense or another. They started out on the margins of culture and ended up changing the mainstream. When we celebrate big steps that were made in the past, it reminds us that big steps can be made in the future.'"

WK Interact comes to LA

I was talking to the manager of Subliminal Projects and he mentioned the upcoming WK Interact show at the gallery in Echo Park, CA.

WK's best known to me for his 'montone' terrorist characters that blur and move around corners in New York's Soho and L.E.S. neighborhoods (which is the same style he painted inside of the Nike House in Venice, CA if you had the chance to visit.)



Although I don't like the installation work of "How to Blow Yourself Up*" as much as his paintings it was good to see the man at work with his criminal processing centre...polariods and height markings on the wall and all!

L-R: me with the height markings; Jason getting processed; Sam and I on the rogue's gallery wall

Personal project I took along my two WK Interact books and my Obey vs. WK Interact poster for a signature. Mine is #3 or a series...the other two were in the store for $75. That was tempting, but after going through all my posters and prints to find this one I was a bit numb and in no mood for shopping. Hell, even collecting my 25th Anniversary of Subway Art from months ago made me wanna get a refund. Seriously...No more stuff...please! ;)



* "If you believe the world will end in 2012 and you can't do anything about it, maybe it's better to blow yourself up when you feel like it," says WK. To that end, he has turned objects of control and personal movement - skateboards and bicycles, as well as three-dimensional panels - into instruments of self-destruction, equipped with what appear to be pipe bombs and other menacing apparatuses."

Shepard Fairey spills the beans on his Obama art

"You know, I actually don't know who took that photo.."

Two weeks after this interview with Shepard Fairey aired on NPR's Fresh Air I read that AP (Associated Press) is pursuing Fairey for infringing its copyright.

In a preemptive move, Fairey has now fired the first shot over AP's bow by filing a lawsuit to defend his position (Fairey v. The Associated Press, 09-cv-01123, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.)

AP's spokesperson said the lawsuit was a surprise because the company was “in the middle of settlement discussions” and agreed not to sue until these were concluded.

Fair use vs. Permission So what's the heart of the story? Fairey says his work is protected by the Fair Use statute, which means that individuals can have limited use of copyrighted material for various purposes. AP's business is creating and selling stories that it owns so of course it says that this is poppycock: “The photograph used in the poster is an AP photo, and its use required permission from AP...it is crucial to protect photographers, who are creators and artists...Their work should not be misappropriated by others.”

Other experts can't agree. But I think I'll leave it to the Stephen Colbert Report on Comedy Central to decide the fate of the lawsuit.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Obama Poster Debate - David Ross and Ed Colbert

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

Legit bootlegger The Smithsonian Gallery has acquired the original campaign poster and now the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston has opened a 20-year retrospective of Fairey’s work until August 16th, 2009.

If you wanna busta blood vessel...try this

In the past I've tried buying an Obey print online. It was such a major hassle that resulted in nothing, but harsh words and frustration!

How often would you wait around by your computer anxiously awaiting the availability of "blank?" The blank in this case was a book design Obey did for Penguin book's re-release of "Animal Farm."

Instead of the internet being the consumer's friend and ally, today it became a nightmare: server crashes, constant browser refreshes and web administrator passwords to stop the barrage of hits. And then when you finally got to your shopping cart...it was empty! After numerous attempts and more foul language I just decided to close my browser tab and write an email to the Obey team to tell them how bollocks the website is. They wrote back. Bollocks to you all!

House of Pain? So, when I saw that Shepard Fairey was releasing "Iconic", billed as a 24×36″ limited edition print, signed and numbered, priced at $500.00. Limited to one set per person/household I just sniggered and thought..."who you calling a sucker?"

There will be plenty out there waiting patiently for 11am PST on January 23rd to roll around. I won't be one of them.

Martha Cooper book launch

Last night Subliminal Projects in Echo Park had a book launch for prolific New York photographer, Martha Cooper. I was hoping she'd be in attendance so I took a pic of her and me from 2004.

Although billed as an exhibition of her pics of NYC street life, rather than her usual hip-hop snapshots (graffiti, b-boys, writers) the show was actually the most comprehensive retrospective of her photography spanning decades.

Whole car I'd never seen the photos of the graffiti and the writers behind the art printed so large (and displayed so raw.) These photos that we know and love are timeless and, even though I wasn't in the US, feel very familiar to me as a devotee to Subway Art. The new, unseen photos included Keith Haring painting (in colour) and kids playing in the streets of urban NYC (in black and white). The latter captured a sort of innocence rarely seen amongst the hustle and bustle in the city today. Or may be it was monochrome that did that for me ;)

Martha Cooper signing photo of me and her taken in Los Angeles, 2004.

Piece and quiet I left last night with a numbered poster set (#69) which included a pre-order for the augmented Subway Art book coming out in the spring. I went back to Subliminal to get a closer look when the hipsters aren't blocking the view. Enjoy the video below.

Glen E. Friedman retrospective

He might not be a household name like Annie Leibovitz or Steven Meisel , but his long-time photographer, Glen E. Friedman, has captured many historic cultural moments.

I'd mainly seen his work as a teenager because of his Run-DMC and Def Jam days and more recently as part of a group show retrospective of Run-DMC photos at Bill Alder's Eyejammie Gallery in New York.

What about the west coast? This weekend at Shepard Fairey's Subliminal Projects gallery in Silverlake will be showing Friedman's Idealist Propaganda. Surprisingly I hear it's his first major retrospective and will include some never-before-seen photos. If you don't know Friedman's work you will recognize his photos of skate (Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, Z-Boys), punk (Dead Kennedys, The Misfits) and hip-hop (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy) subcultures, as well as his political statements from his "Fuck You All" collection and "Fuck You Heroes" and "Fuck You Too" series. OMG?!


Friedman will be attending the opening reception, so I'm planning on going to see the show and maybe get a signed copy of one of his books produced by his publishing company, Burning Flags Press.

Side note Obey has collaborated with Friedman on a collection of prints, t-shirts, hats and clothing celebrating one of the most prolific and icon rap bands in history, Public Enemy. I love this project.

View larger map - Brooklyn graffiti walking tour

I remember the first time I went to New York in the late 80s and saw the Lee (Quinones) piece down in a parking lot by Lafayette Street. Then I discovered the Hall of Fame over in Queens. Now it seems that Williamsburg has won the hearts of artists looking for larger spaces and peace and quiet to do their thing.

The "Off Manhattan" blog has an amazing article that lovingly documents some emerging and established artists' work in the fair borough of Brooklyn. It even has a Google map feature which I love. Hope you do too!


View Larger Map

Off Manhattan says: "How to get there: Take the L train from Union Square to Lorimer St - Metropolitain Ave Station. Then proceed on foot at your discretion with the self-guided tour of the featured graffiti sites. Print out this article and the map below to help guide you to the locations. Please note that graffiti is usually not permanent, so we cannot guarantee that all our sites are still in tact. On the other hand, new art is constantly being created—let us know in the comments if you discover anything new in the area!"




Throw-ups and Pieces from old-skooler T.Kid, Ghost, Os Gemeos, Armer, Peek/Funk (Pink and Smith), Diva and Aero/Teo

Murals by Ewok, LA-based Obey, T.Kid and R.Robots

Stencils by my mate Nick Walker and C215

Poster-work Faile, Obey, Elbow Toe, Judith Supine and OHM

It takes a nation of millions...

What happens when art meets music? Well, when the street artist come art icon, Obey, mixes it up with rap legends, Public Enemy it turns into a full blown art and clothing project! And Stevio goes shopping :)

I copped myself one of the dope, military-inspired M-65 jackets created by Obey and PE. This is just like the ones (self-proclaimed) Professor Griff's S1Ws wore for stage with PE back in the 90s. I'm not a FoI (Fruit of Islam), but I'm lovin' the old skool hip-hop, fool!

Who needs a stimulus package? I'm helping the economy. PS...Made in China?!

Bomb It - The Movie comes to town

Six days and counting 'til "Bomb It" opens in West Hollywood. This is a global graffiti documentary. It's kinda been done before by Pablo's "Next: The Primer", but I'm still amp'd to see this as it explores some new ground:

"If Style Wars was the gold standard of graffiti documentary films, Bomb It is the new platinum standard. Bomb It is dope! Don't sleep on this movie....", Bounce FM.

The film has love and support, even the poster is done by none other than Shepard Fairey, aka OBEY (aka DJ Diabetic)! Last weekend, I went to see T-Kid in town who features in the film, as does Mear One who was also painting at that 33Third event.



If you can't get to the cinema go get your own DVD. No excuses. Go see this film.

Enough already...No More Obama!

Everyone's inspired by the race for the Presidency. For me, I'm bored and have been numbed from all sides as even the artists have got in on the act!

Upper Playground and Sam Flores did a nice poster to show support for the Obama campaign, but can you beat the propaganda king Obey? Nah, man! Posters, limited-edition eBay fare, t-shirts in Urban Outfitters...it's crazy!

The best of Bristol

This city has changed a lot since I was here briefly last Christmas. Look at the development going on around Bond St./Old Market...on one side is the student housing; on the other is the new shopping complex that will house House of Fraser, Mum says. I think I would've got lost a bit without the Hertz GPS! Unrecognisable!

I was heading to see Nick in Bedminister via my first trip to Workshop, a new street fashion store on Perry Rd from the 50/50 skate shop folks. I had my T-shirt put back after spotting it online...it's a tribute to Beat Street. It's fresh! The guys there are very relaxed and Danny has good contacts in the art world...I mean I hear Shepard 'Obey' Fairey passed through! They support local talent like Apish Angel, so I wish'em well.

"Beminsirrr"
Bedminister has changed too...that large housing development on York Road and North St. is finished. And believe it or not, the pub on Windmill Hill is like a gastropub now with a kiddy-friendly area (yes kids hang out in the pub in England). No racists in sight...well, not publicly anyhow!

Merry Karnowsky Gallery ~ 10th anniversary

I got an invite to celebrate 10 years of Merry Karnowsky's gallery. She's got some connections as Jason spotted an Obey portrait of her in the entrance to the gallery just for this show. How cool!

I saw Buff Monster at the spot and we had a good ol' chinwag about the art business. Hmm. Intriguing. He's launching his toy range later this month with MINDStyle who also work with Michael Lau. I skipped Buff's Culver City art show the other month, but expect a little report from me on the toys.