Urban art was born out of frustration and anger. People since Roman times have daubed political slogans on walls to protest unfair governance. The term graffiti referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins. It is a Latin word that has its roots in an older Greek word that means 'to write'. In the 1980s graffiti was reborn as it were. Hip hop culture, racial tensions and the spray paint can ? all these things came together to form a new subculture, and eventually a new group of artists.
It is virtually impossible to agree upon a definition of art. Establishment figures claim that graffiti and other types of urban art are vandalism. This, however, in itself doesn't preclude urban art from being termed art. In many ways urban art is an extension of the modern art pioneered by Andy Warhol. It is an art that plays with the icons of pop culture seeking to subvert and alter these icons. For example Shepard Fairey's Hope poster for Barack Obama owes a lot to Warhol's Marilyns.
One indication that the art establishment has accepted urban art as a legitimate art form is money. The well-known Bristol born urban artist Banksy has been a commercial success. On 19 October 2006 a set of his Kate Moss paintings sold in Sotheby's London for ￡50,400. That is over 50,000 reasons to consider Banksy's output as 'art'.
The unusual thing about urban art is that although several artists have made the cross over from public spaces to gallery spaces, it is art that is essentially free. A painting on a wall, mosaics on a sign, and a picture on the pavement cannot be formally owned. These works are democratic as they are for everyone to enjoy. They cannot be put in a gallery and used to command entrance fees.
There is a strong anarchic and anti-establishment theme running through urban art that goes back to its original graffiti roots. The place of the art is an affront to urban authorities. Urban artists work outside the law to get their art in place. Banksy famously managed to get an image on the wall separating Israel from Palestine, and put up a Guantanamo style prison manikin by a roller coaster ride in Disneyworld.
The subject matter of urban art is also frequently political, visceral, combative and outspoken. In Russia the street artist Pavel 183 risks serious consequences if the authorities uncover his identity. His overtly political art challenges the harsh new form of Russian democracy that has led to casino capitalism and a continuing culture of repression. It is often said that the establishment seek to bring street artists into the gallery in order to co-opt them. Once a street artist becomes rich he or she has essentially 'lost the point', 'gone over to the enemy'. It is hard to speak with passion about poverty when you are now rich.
This has been the fate to a certain extent of Shepard Fairey. He has been exhibited in galleries all over the world. While he has been challenged for using copyrighted images, he himself has placed cease and desist orders on other artists for using his images. This all looks like hypocrisy. If Shepard Fairey was an anonymous street artist working outside the rubric of the 'art world' stealing copyright images would be just another taunt at the 'system' that seeks to 'own' everything.
This in essence is the fascination and frisson in urban art. For the fans of street art its value is that it is on the 'outside' of the establishment, that it represents the repressed masses and minorities. When that urban art becomes officially 'art' and becomes a commodity to buy and sell then it loses its appeal. The force with which urban art seeks to attack corruption, consumer culture and commodification becomes lost when Hollywood stars buy the works for thousands of dollars.
I’ve meandered through enough art galleries in my day and thought – you know, I could have probably done something similar, something better. Then I went and did just that. Sad that the public hardly ever gets to witness the truly talented art that comes of these super exclusive shops. The general public doesn’t get much say in the matter which is a bit of a shame, but not really on topic.
One of the elements of design that I greatly admire is the new urban art trends that have emerged in the web design landscape in the lasy decade. I have absloutely no web talent, and it’s something I regret not experimenting with while studying the likes of those at the Buffalo Urban Arts Teachers Academy. Doesn’t mean I don’t have the eye for it – after all my physical art is purchased by millionaires. Some sites today have some complicated and interesting vision which is impressive especially when art isn’t something being sold by the site owner.
Blenderbattles.com was a great example of trendy urban web art before their redesign and reimagination of what it was they were selling. As it stands now it’s an entirely new site and you’ll have to check Archive.org to catch glimpses of the intelligence and sophistication of the site’s design past.
The Wooster Collective keeps it minimal with a header that says it all – for those who know how to read between the urban lines;) Me thinks that could spark up some seriously hot debate in a niche that most people run from. I’ll go out on a limb and state that the owner of the site has a sense of humor and isn’t afraid to defend a position when confronted with an opposing opinion.
Tha Phlash just went out an said ’let’s blast the entire scene on the homepage and figure out the rest later’, but I like it. Feels like I’m standing in that lot waiting for the show to pop off. Probably my kind of urban street party anyway so I’m down. You know what? The site is still brain dead simple to navigate and for the deep searchers there are some serious goodies to be found there too. No, I won’t reveal the secrets of the site owner. Go out and dig yourself.
The scene is growing. It’s an awareness thing and a desire for the people involved deeply in the art itself, like myself, to get our art into the hands of the people who truly deserve it. And those who truly deserve it are usually the ones with a deeper, greater appreciation of the genre and not some deep pocketed transparents whose only concern is that you don’t get to taste it. I don’t work to feed people like that and I never will. Urban art is something that may be growing well online, and in the street it’s even larger. Keep up the good search and you are bound to stumble up on some really great stuff. I’d give an arm, and some paint, to see it hit critical mass.
When we talk a lot about style on this blog, we’re usually talking about art and especially fashion. I bring that up after having a few conversations with a friend who owns a wine of the month club. He said that a lot of his customers are aware that winemakers consider themselves, in large part, more like artists than scientists. He said that a lot of people even realized that there are a number of stylistic choices that a winemaker gets to make. As an example, picking later in the year leads to higher alcohol levels and possibly higher scores from critics such as Robert Parker. Of course, there is starting to be some consumer backlash against those type of wines so everything isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
What interests me more though is how wineries develop their style. What type of tasting room experience do they want? How do they want their employees dressed? Additionally, I wonder if style consultants or even those of us who have built a personal style brand, could be brought in to help create something new, different and better for a winery. I mean, how many stuffy winery tasting rooms do we really need with paintings of apples on the walls?
Ive been to Thailand many times – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Suratthani as well as lots of the islands in the south of the country. It never struck me until recently how little street art there is in the entire country. This piece will look at the possible reasons for the lack of urban art and graffiti in Thailand, explore the social and artistic implications of this, and show a couple of pieces of sited Thai urban art.
Lots to paint about
The political history of Thailand has been beset by numerous military take overs. The last happened in 2006. The country is now on the brink of civil conflict as the red shirts and the yellow shirts continue to protest (sometimes violently). Behind the scenes of the present government is Shinawtra Thaksin who threatens to return with a full pardon and destabilize the country. Thailand has a vast disparity in wealth. The police force are notoriously corrupt. The army is fighting an insurgency in the south and is rumoured to be carrying out executions of separatists. There is a lot to complain about in Thailand. There is a lot to respond to by the means of urban art, and yet it is nearly impossible to find either in Bangkok, Phuket, the tourist island of Koh Samui or the rave island of Phangan. Why?
Why so little urban art in Thailand?
Many urban artists trained as graphic designers and artists. The art scene has been slow to flourish in Thailand due to poor teritary education. Also much of what passes as Thai art are just corny reproductions of elephants and Buddha heads.
Thai cities are chaotic and full of street life. It can be hard to make a visual impact with street art in urban areas that are just cluttered to the eye.
No doubt the penalities and social stigma of painting on National monuments is not worth the risk. Painting on a temple would be an unspeakable crime.
Implications
Thai people are obviously missing a key way of expressing their dissatisfaction with the status quo. Thousands of websites have been blocked by the authorities, especially after the last military coup. It is no wonder that violence becomes the only way to express political opinions. Any negative comment made about the King receives harsh prison penalties under the lese majeste laws.
The lack of street art in Thailand is no doubt hampering the development of new artistic aesthetics. A few artists are beginning to break the mold, but their work is not being seen widely by the public.
Street art in Thailand
Thanks to www.marshallastor.com we have a few photographs of street art in Bang Saen, a small resort city 85 km south of Bangkok. Much of the street art was found on ruined buildings and is not readily spotted by the public. The art is mostly of a low quality with very little political content. It does show, however, that there is a group of Thais or foreigners beginning to develop an urban art scene in Thailand.
A few years ago urbanism meant anything but wine didn’t it? I mean wine doesn’t have anything to do with the city does it? It’s grown in BFE. It’s only consumed by those grey haired white folks who have no rhythem and probably wear suspenders right?
Things have changed. Wineries have moved into cities. There is a block of wineries in Oakland these days. In San Francisco, it’s to be expected but Oakland is hardly gentrified yet. Personally, when it comes to finding wine gifts I love these little nuggets of wineries. They offer great value, an incredible story and frankly are the kind of risk takers who I like to support.
Plus, it just seems like they are making wine for me…for a change!
Banksy is without doubt one the most famous street artist in the world today despite the fact his identity still remains a secret. All is known is that he is from a city called Bristol in the UK, he was born in 1974 and his name ’may be’ Robert Banks, there are no confirmed photos just a distinct style of art that makes his work instantly recognizable. Through the use of stencils he was able to get his art up quickly with little chance of getting caught in the act by the police.
Latest Banksy Art Sightings
We never know when the next ‘Banksy’ is going to appear so when they do come about they cause a lot of excitement as well as speculation as to whether or not the piece is actually his. The only way we can be certain it was done by the man himself is to see if he features it on his website which is only updated now and then.
We never know when the next ‘Banksy’ is going to appear so when they do come about they cause a lot of excitement as well as speculation as to whether or not the piece is actually his. The only way we can be certain it was done by the man himself is to see if he features it on his website which is only updated now and then.
So lets take a look at a few of his recent works!
Sky Writing – Liverpool
This piece was found on a car park wall in Liverpool and the speculation that over whether or not this was a Banksy was finally quashed when the artist confirmed the graffiti on his official website. Shop Till You Drop – Mayfair, London
The creation of the woman falling whilst trying to grab hold of her shopping trolley is thought by many to be addressing the continuing consumerism in a time of financial economic turmoil. ‘Shop till you drop’ was actually caught on camera in its various stages of development with a scaffold structure erected a couple of days before the final image was uncovered. No sightings of Banksy himself though!
Other Favorites from times gone by
Those were a selection of the recent additions to the street art seen in the UK but lets have a look at a couple of different Banksy art styles that have been created over the last few years. Many people think Banksy just sprays on walls but some of my favorite work is actually his sculptures both indoor and outdoor.
The first is a sculpture in a ancient historical Roman style depicting a woman in a mini skirt complete with can of beer and cigarette, they obviously missed out on using this Green Smoke discount code for a legal indoor smoke! This sculpture is probably trying to show how far civilization has come in the lat few thousand years!
The last one to look at is the full working Dolphin ride that was displayed for a few days in August 2010 on Brighton pier. Showing a dolphin caught in a fishing net over a spilled BP oil barrel, some parents seem oblivious to what it actually is while their kids still take to the ride!
Everybody has their own favorites; these are just a couple of mine, there are many others I could show but there really are too many. If you have the time, take a look around the web for the different street art and exhibitions by banksy, it won’t be time wasted!
If you take a look around Los Angeles you will see that street art is still alive and well. I recently read an article in LAist that had some very cool pictures of the art that can be seen in the city’s various neighborhoods.
I have definitely seen the picture above when I’ve been in downtown LA. I think it’s on Spring St. or nearby. The name if the artist is ’JR in downtown’, and his street art is part of a project called LA Free walls. JR has a couple other pieces of art around downtown and throughout LA. Although JR gets the permission of the building owners to put up his art, it’s still not officially sanctioned by the city. Amazingly, there’s a 2002 law that bans large murals in the city. Even if they are on private property, the building owner has to get special approval from the city on a case-by-case basis. I’m not entirely sure of the reason for the ban, but it probably has to do with the endemic graffiti that can be seen everywhere in the city. LA apparently spends about $7 million annually to remove graffiti.
Another artist who has made some street art in LA is Shepherd Fairey, who became famous for the red-white-and-blue image of Barack Obama (pictured in the last post). You can see Fairey’s art on Melrose Ave, although I wasn’t able to find the cross street. Melrose is a nice drive though, so it’s probably worth a cruise along the avenue to find Fairey’s mural.
The complicated legal issues around street art remind me on the ongoing debate about the legality of the medicinal marijuana clinics. Since the passage of Prop 215 in 1996, hundreds of dispensaries have opened in the city. However, there’s been a legal effort to close many of them lately. However, this doesn’t apply to vaporizer shops – there are a few good ones in the city should you care to pick up an arizer solo vaporizer. Those can be used for aromatherapy herbs.
In any case, I am looking forward to seeing some more street art around town. I hear that even Banksy had a piece around somewhere.
