OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com Contemporary Urban Art Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:51:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 https://openwallsgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Openwalls_Facebook_black-150x150.jpg OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com 32 32 OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/berlin-kidz-thomas-von-wittich-interview/ Wed, 27 Jun 2018 09:52:09 +0000 https://berlinstreetart.com/?p=2723/

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

Infamous, fearless, even crazy – these are the attributes given to Berlin Kidz, a group of daredevils living and working in and around German capital. They have worked hard to earn the reputation of the most audacious graffiti group in town, always preparing a new action and pushing the limits. They leave their marks descending down the tallest Berlin structures on nothing but a rope and make videos that make everyone’s chin drop. And what do they want? To “fuck the system”, apparently.

Since we don’t know who they are and they are virtually impossible to get to, we’ve met with Thomas von Wittich, a Berlin photographer who dedicated four years to following and shooting Berlin Kidz during their risky stunts. His “Adrenaline” series portrays the group in many of their actions, giving both an artistic and a documentary quality to their performances. Our talk with Thomas allowed us to take a glimpse into the world behind the camera, and to satisfy our curiosity about the Berlin Kidz just a bit more.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

BSA: How did you first become involved with the Berlin Kidz?

TW: When Alaniz was hanging out in Berlin, he was painting some walls with the Berlin Kidz. I was already looking for a contact with them for about half a year without any results but he just met them in the streets. I was while working with Alaniz, so he introduced us. They painted a huge rooftop spot in Kreuzberg, I came with them to take photos and afterward we decided to do more together as it was working quite well.

BSA: They seem to extremely cherish their anonymity. How did they allow you to make photographs and then publish them?

TW: As not all of the people appreciate their work in the same way, they have to be careful about their anonymity. I had a reputation as a graffiti and street art photographer before I met them so they knew that I could be trusted. And the fact that they are constantly wearing masks makes it easier for me as well.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

BSA: Do they ever pose, or your photos only capture their action?

TW: My photos just capture their actions. As they are used to have cameras around as they film all of their work by themselves it happens as well that they pose for a photo. But I never directed them or asked them to do anything for a picture.

BSA: What are they, actually?

TW: They’re a bunch of Berlin Kidz – they grew up in this city and this is exactly where it all comes from.

Like the Pixação Movement in São Paulo, they are not happy with the circumstances the city is offering and this is their way to express it. It’s a fight for freedom and against gentrification and surveillance.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

BSA: Did you have problems with the law because of your photographic work and involvement with the Berlin Kidz?

TW: No.

BSA: They keep bombing the impossible places around Berlin. Did you ever follow all the way? Did you ever surf the train or repel down from a tall building?

TW: I never repel down a building because I usually use very long exposure times. I often even took a tripod with me on the roofs to shoot their actions. Hanging down a building on a rope would not allow me to stand (or hang) still long enough to take a sharp photo. As well, the perspective it will give you hanging down a rope from the building wouldn’t allow me too many different angles to capture what they are doing. Apart from that, I followed them all the way, yes.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

BSA: When you take those photographs of them in action, how dangerous is it for you?

TW: This is hard to answer as I never felt unsafe. Every action which was asking a bit more effort was talked about and they always told me before “you can do that” or “you shouldn’t do that”. So I was guided by professionals but the places and circumstances, for sure it was not as safe as when I am working with other graffiti writers in the streets.
There are a couple of things to make it less dangerous, too. Check the spot before, make a plan, wear good shoes, don’t drink before and don’t do drugs.

BSA: Did anyone ever get hurt?

TW: Not when I was with them. But yes, things like that happened and when you watch their videos you will see that they don’t spare out those moments.

BSA: Can you describe one episode/anecdote from your shooting spree with the Berlin Kidz? How does it feel to watch them doing what they do?

TW: It is very entertaining. I have never been so far from boredom than in those moments.
I have a beautiful anecdote every graffiti writer will recognize – forgetting fat caps. This probably happened to everybody who ever went out to paint at night often enough. But finding that out just after climbing up a 75 m high church tower with the intention to repel down and paint it makes the story a bit more fun. So for all the people who found it to be crazy that Paradox climbed up a church: He climbed it twice that night, haha.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

BSA: Do the marks Berlin Kidz leave around the city or the videos make people react? In what way?

TW: Most of the people I met seem to enjoy what they do. In the beginning I was surprised about that because they do heavy damage and mostly tags which is usually not so appreciated by the public but I think the fact that its colorful, something different and that there are a lot of small optimistic messages hidden inside makes it more enjoyable for people who don’t have a graffiti background. I like the reactions from the people in the streets.

BSA: What do they ultimately want to achieve? What is their goal?

TW: Like the new DVD, the title says – they want to fuck the system.

BSA: If they get there, will they stop?

TW: In this case, I would say the way is the goal.

BSA: What about you, how long will you follow and photograph them?

TW: I’m done. I spent 4 years with them. I have everything I want.

Thomas von Wittich – Berlin Kidz series

The interview was edited. All photos courtesy of Thomas von Wittich
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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-art-style/ https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-art-style/#respond Mon, 16 Apr 2018 19:38:59 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=7353

OX – Intervention in Cologne, 2017

Vivid, expressive and pictographic, billboard posters OX disperses throughout the visual universe impose on our senses with a peculiar charm. Unfastened by complicated narratives, they instantly settle within our visual field as something welcome and natural, opening an unexpected door to a different kind of urban aesthetics. Imbued with a healthy dose of humor, OX’s outdoor pictures mark unexpected, colorful glitches in the prevailing grey reality of the cityscape, made to entertain and inspire.

OX in his Studio

Constructing an Individualist Expression

Having begun his artistic activity in the early 80s, OX was never a conformist. From the very first steps he made, his ideas and connections were created in the world of the artistic rebels, groups and figures who were creating novel modes of expression. Working both in the street and off of it, he was a member of the infamous Frères Ripoulin collective, whereas their punk approach to creativity exuded a fresh inclusivity making no distinction between illicit actions outdoors and gallery shows. The first OX’s billboard takeovers date to this era, while he’s built a comprehensive practice over time, fusing multiple influences and mediums within his idiosyncratic style. Today, he is one of the most unique figures in the domain of public art, since his work can be regarded as either a contemporary amalgamation in the spirit of postmodernism or simply, as – Street Art. Hence, it would be unfair to place OX’s body of work within a single movement, as its distinctive stylistic traits best reflect the present state of international artistic pluralism.

OX – Intervention in Cologne, 2017

A Seamless Amalgamation of Ideas

Still, the unequalled expression OX developed can be put in connection with various artistic ideas. Seeking inspiration in the Figuration Libre movement, kitsch, comic and satirical magazines, and also the figure of Keith Haring, OX was growing in an environment deeply influenced by Situationism, where the street only served as the canvas for experimentation. His fascination with pop culture and his opposition to the overly theoretical conceptualism guided the sharpening of his artistic manner, which shifted through different dimensions of the abstract. It was the interest in reversing the commercial in Pop Art that influenced his present-day imagery the most, as he kept removing the crucial advertising elements from the frame keeping only the nonsensical – “the model, the backgrounds emptied of their contents, the hidden texts…Admitting that he had to adopt the powerful visuals of advertising, OX succeeded in creating a recognizable pictorial language of strong geometric and abstract elements and bold color. Subjects in his work are frequently environment-driven, serve as a basis for the witty composition, but do not bear the crucial importance, while the power of his aesthetics remains within his particular system of colors and shapes.

OX – Échantillons en Coins, 2004

Significance of OX’s Studio Work

Although he is best known for his outdoor installations, OX defines himself primarily as a studio artist, while the aesthetics he nurtures emerges as the crucial element of his work in all the media he uses. Every piece he invents is first conceived and planned in the studio, while techniques for the public and gallery pieces differ. It’s been a journey from the cheap kraft paper and fluorescent acrylic to the flawlessly finished studio pieces constructed with finer materials, including wood. His style evolved along with the introduction of new techniques, which can be seen even in the array of work created in recent years.

Breaking away from the rigid rectangular shape of a billboard, OX’s studio works all follow a free-form, featuring undulating edges or polyptych setting. Elaborate geometry fluctuates from the associative to purely abstract, consistently carrying references to urban environment, either in deformed shape or in color. From his excellent series “Échantillons”, to the present installation-like constructions, OX has used the urban setting as the prime inspiration. We can catch glimpses of billboard edges, traffic lights, pavement or building sites throughout his work, all fitting a composition effortlessly, as if they hadn’t been rendered through a great number of layers. Stratified both visually and conceptually, this work takes us on a meditative trip through aesthetic aspects of the cityscape, sometimes emphasized to the maximum by bright color, and sometimes stripped to their bone.

Such exploration of the basic compositional elements brought OX to his present work hinted in “The Half Blank”, in which color has loses its original value. Energized wavy shapes are marked out in wooden frame in “Le Couple”, connected with adjustable straps that bear the only hint of color. Outlined by wood and enhanced by the primary palette signifies a new line in OX’s explorative practice, where he returns to the very basics of form and composition in a rather literal way. We can still see his unmistakable language within this installation, but here, it has reached a new level of existence, free of the fluorescent, the flat and the immaterial. This may be the first time we detect a tactile quality in OX’s work, excited to join him in a new plane of delving into space and investigating spatial relations. At the same time, this work represents a new mature stage in OX’s oeuvre, one that promises to develop radially, in different mediums, breaking away from the expectedly linear model of progression.

OX – Le Couple, 2017

The Unbroken Coherence in Style

Returning to the OX’s public works, we can detect a clear connection between them and his studio pieces. Affected by the context they are set in, his billboards carry the same stylistic traits as do his studio pieces, supporting the integral coherence of his practice. It must be mentioned that such elaborate consideration of composition and environment elevates OX’s work high above any Street Art gimmick or decoration. Although his visuals ultimately alter the commercial message of the advertising board, he rejects the association with the adbusting movement due to the essential differences in approach.

While Adbusters are highly political and rebel against harmful effects of advertising, OX uses this attractive way of communication to change the reality, if only for a moment. This great contemporary colorist provides an alternative outlook onto the city and a welcome visual break for anyone who appreciates the possibility of a more soulful surroundings. Thus, he continues to open witty portals for everyone, motivating us to reconsider our environment and perhaps – act in it.

Images by Thomas von Wittich.

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-interview/ https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-interview/#respond Thu, 12 Apr 2018 18:13:46 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=7334 OX slideshow6

OX – Intervention in Cologne, 2017

Ever fascinated by the street for its experimental potential, OX has spent decades developing a style unlike any other. Known as a billboard hijacker, he has been pasting his collages and designs all around Europe, aiming to draw attention to a different kind of urban aesthetics. His strong, schematic and colorful images are infused with a good dose of humor, without ever turning banal. Still, these street actions remain only the crown of OX’s elaborate studio practice that precedes every one of the hijacks. When faced with his work, people can hardly look away and that is exactly the point – to keep an interested eye on the picture long enough to stimulate the brain into thinking. With every image, OX invites to reconsider our environment and its looks, and he does it so effortlessly and with such elegance that a person is always entertained, often inspired and never annoyed. It’s a special skill this experienced French artist has and we enjoyed the opportunity to talk with him about his own art history and the emergence of his unique visual language.

OX slideshow3

OX pasting

Looking Back to the 80s

You have started creating public art before street art took shape. How would you compare the situation in street art then, in the 1980s, to what we have today? What about the global situation, then and now?

When I started to paste paintings on billboards, there were already many shapes of artistic action taking place in the streets (stencils, graffitis, posters…). But this kind of artistic expressions was still marginalized by cultural institutions and the broad public. Thus they were not considered a part of a movement, even though journalists and galleries were becoming more and more interested in them, especially in the USA. In the 1980’s, when we worked with the Frères Ripoulin collective, we were not making the difference between pasting in the street, publishing fanzines or exhibiting in galleries. Our influences came from pictorial and graphic movements such as Figuration Libre and Bazooka, rock, comics, underground culture. One specific action which gathered all of these influences and best illustrates that period was the “live painting” which took place during concerts. We talked about art for all or media-painters, sometimes about art in the street… During all these years, many people have intervened in the public space and the phenomenon has only grown.

The real breakthrough came with the Internet and the fact that artworks that were first and foremost recognized as such by a few enthusiasts found themselves at the heart of a mainstream and viral culture. This has created an emulation between artists and led to the emergence of numerous initiatives and trends. This has been very beneficial for many artists, including myself because it has given me more visibility and encouraged me to persevere. Nowadays, what we call “Street Art” covers so many different practices and conflicting goals that it is impossible to define: what does a tag have in common with a public or private commission, except to be seen in the same space? A whole system has developed that uses the street without taking into account its specificity. For some, this consists in developing a gimmick and repeating it over and over again, using public space only as a springboard to access the art market without really understanding its experimental interest.

I’m not very interested in this globalized dimension of imposing ever-more virtuosic and gigantic visuals. On the other hand, I think that there is a real popular art that is still alive and that if these practices persist it is because they represent a space of freedom that everyone can seize.

Over the course of your long and dynamic career, you have worked in different media, often paper-based, but you have also witnessed many new movements and styles emerge and develop. How did you come up with the method you are using today?
In the beginning, I essentially used kraft paper, cheap and very convenient for collages. It was also used as a material to exhibit in the galleries. The painting technique was the same inside and outside: acrylic for large flat tints, fluorescent colors, large black rings as in comic strips and sometimes spray paint for rough shadows. Today I still use the same materials for collages on advertising boards, but the techniques I use for exhibition pieces are more diverse. I often use a rather elaborate manufacturing with a lot of wood cutting. So, the materials I use vary. As far as the visual aspect is concerned, despite the differences in treatment, I try to bring out a form of coherence in the permanent coming and going between these two activities which feed and influence each other.

How did this help shape your visual language?
My graphic language, at first very close to punk-rock fanzines, changed radically when I switched to 4- by 3-meter posters because I had to adopt a language with an impact as powerful as that of advertising. The shapes have been simplified, purified by taking more and more distance with the figuration. What came first with our collective were the actions and reactivity, not the formal reflections. It was at the dissolution of the group that I really started to confront myself with the question of “what to paint?”. I realized that what mattered to me were the aesthetic emotions caused by the assemblages of shapes and colors. The choice of the subject was finally quite secondary. So, I subtract, hide, cut and so I practiced a sort of reverse Pop Art, while I kept only what didn’t make sense from the commercial imagery: the model, the backgrounds emptied of their contents, the hidden texts…

OX – Intervention in Cologne, 2017

Billboards and Inspirations

In your biography, you mention that “discovering Keith Haring” was a real turning point for you. How did his art influence you? When was this?
It was, of course, a graphic shock, but he seemed to tell us “go ahead, act now”. He confirmed the intuition that we had to start without waiting to accumulate more knowledge or to pass diplomas. He was in tune with the music we were listening to and had the same desire to spread his art throughout society. It was much more than an artistic influence.

“Billboards are like huge windows, oversized paintings, hanging in the city,” you said. What is it about billboards that inspires and fascinates you so much?
It is true that we used the advertising panels to recreate a kind of outdoor exhibition, a giant gallery accessible to the greatest amounts [of people], but also as a means to make us known. We put a telephone number on the poster itself so that we could be contacted by the press journalists who made the link with the galleries. They were very fond of this kind of action because it seemed totally new.

Did your inspirations change over time? What inspired you then and what does today?
The French movements I spoke about before, which were linked to rock culture, but also pop artists such as Lichtenstein. Comic magazines but also the satirical press which conveyed a spirit of rebellion and derision sometimes inspired by Dadaism. In general, popular culture with a particular interest in kitsch and the bad taste that accompanies it. We were in opposition to conceptual art and very resistant to an intellectual reading of our activities. Then, I came closer to a more minimalist and abstract research and even if I learned to like other artists I remain much more inspired by the places of consumption and entertainment than by the places of culture. My studio work often stems from a contextual approach in an urban setting rather than from museum attendance.

OX in his Studio

OX – A Studio Painter

What does your creative process look like, from the idea to the installation? Do you spend more time in the studio or outside, in the streets?
I am a studio painter even if I spend a lot of time outside, especially for spotting and shooting. The main part of my time is occupied by painting and by the computer simulation work which precedes it. I hardly ever paint on the street. On the other hand, I like very much the moment of the collage where I meet all the risks related to the public space, the confrontation with the reality of the material and of the space which surrounds it and the part of unforeseen which arises. It is a free and gratuitous act that brings me back to the origins of my commitment.

What does it take to prepare to go out and paste your work on a public surface?
A lot of work before to find a spot, a lot of simulations to check the validity of the intervention, remove all that is superfluous and that could harm the desired effect when confronting the painting with its environment. Some material (stepladder, seal, brush, perch) but the pasting process itself is very simple.

You create work in the studio and in the public space, but only one of those is ephemeral. How do you feel about the temporality of your publicly installed billboard covers?
I am comfortable with the disappearance of the paintings covered by the advertisements, I like very much that things return to their state of normality (even if I would sometimes prefer that this period last a little longer than the usual 4, 5 days). I have much more difficulty with the durability of the artworks which must demonstrate their ability to function on a white wall and which must be protected, packed, transported. It means the artworks for which one can ask explanations or even justifications in order to prove the appropriateness of creating such or such things. It turns out that photography is the last stage of interventions in the public space, so I have a trace of this ephemeral moment.

OX – Billboard in Caen, March 2018. Courtesy OX.

What is More Normal Than Pasting a Poster on a Billboard?

Do you remember the first billboard you hijacked?
I sometimes hijack advertising images, but usually, I hijack the medium (the billboard itself) from its primary function (which is to deliver a commercial message).

I cover the entire surface so the interaction occurs more with the environment of the billboard than with the image it shows. The first time was in Paris in 1984, but as I didn’t take into account what was around I’d rather talk about the last time. It was in Caen in March 2018, a billboard fixed on a wall on which water drain pipes were hung. I chose this spot because of these pipes and I knew that I would play with them.

This game obviously consisted in making the pipes intertwine visually but what I like in the end is that it looks more like a small abstract pattern and that we can easily omit to make the connection with the pipes. In fact, the choice of this location was the pretext that led me to conceive this pattern.

In one article from 2013, it says that you have never been caught while illegally installing your work on billboards. Did this change since then?
Yes, it is still true. I intervene during the day and what could be more normal than someone who sticks posters on a billboard?

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

Freedom from the Political

These days we see a lot of activism in the streets, one of them coming with the adbusting movement. You have several times mentioned that your work is not the exact opposition to advertising, but rather a contemplative alternative that changes the environment. (“My work it is not about decorating the city, but rather about creating a very small moment that is just a little different. It is a question of moving away from the relationship between the slogan and the idea of selling, in order to integrate them even more in the moment. This is not to cause the fall of advertising,”) In terms of social and political context, where would you position your work?

I affirm my right not to position myself ideologically by spreading explicit messages.

I define myself as a painter and I claim the possibility of painting bouquets of flowers if I feel like it without being blamed for a lack of political awareness. I think that my illicit activity of direct expression makes sense. It has a philosophical and poetic conscience. I am not advocating the disappearance of advertising, I am interested in it because it is part of the popular culture and I even use its vector of communication on a personal basis. However, I refuse to put my work at its service and I am very critical about its harmfulness. So I have no state of mind to make some of them disappear.

You mention that the Internet influenced your work in a good way. In what way did it bring positive changes to your practice? How do you use the web today?
The Internet has allowed me to meet new people and broaden my field of action enormously. Finally, it allows me to concretize things that would have remained virtual.

In 2017, you did a big project in Cologne, with ten billboards. Are you planning a project of similar scale in the near future?
It was an authorized project in connection with Kölner Liste. I was curious to work legally with a billboard company. The interest of this kind of project is to have a logistic support which allowed me to realize a great number of collages. If this doesn’t fundamentally change my approach as to the final result, it still creates a strange and contradictory situation by the fact that I was not covering random advertisements, but a picture of my work used to promote a contemporary art fair, how confusing! So, why not, but without authorization, it will be even better!

This interview was given in French. Please, find the French version HERE.

Translation from French: Anaïs Raulet
All images (except billboard in Caen): Thomas von Wittich

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/graffiti-words/ Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:30:04 +0000 https://berlinstreetart.com/?p=2696/

Stencil. Alias – Dissitent – Berlin, 2017.

Every art form or art movement have their specific language. We can find many art historical dictionaries or glossaries in any library in virtually every language. Still, one of the biggest art movements – Street Art and Graffiti in a broader sense – has been deprived of its right to have such a lexicon. This is why we embarked on a neverending journey of starting and building a glossary of Street Art and Graffiti words.

Categorizing a complex, differentiated and rich subculture of Street Art and Graffiti is practically impossible, but we tried to group these words into three basic categories – Cultural terms, Styles, and Techniques. Please, be aware that any of the terms can refer to more than one category and that this attempt in classification was done in good faith.

We present you with the ultimate glossary of Graffiti and Street Art, a growing lexicon of terms that we will continue to update.

1UP – ÜF Wiener rainbow graffiti. Heaven spot.- Photo by Katia H.

Cultural terms

Adbusting – Or Subvertising is the practice of altering and making satirical interventions on public, corporate or political advertisements. It’s marked by humor, satire and often sharp criticism of certain societal issues, most often consumerism.

All-city – Gaining this label means to become a famous graffiti writer in the entire city. The term originates from New York, and it used to mean – to be known in all the five boroughs, while this “fame” was spread by the subway.

Angel(s) – a famed and well respected graffiti artist who is no longer alive. Admirers and followers would make tribute portraits of “Angels” or they would tag their names with hovering halos above, adding the dates of their birth and death.

Back to back or End to end – Huge graffiti piece that covers a wall from one end to the other, similar to pieces found on the western side of the Berlin Wall. On a subway train, it refers to a piece that covers the entire train, end to end. Abbreviation – B2B or E2E. Usually painted below the windows of a car, they are sometimes called window-downs.

Bite – To steal someone’s art, ideas, names, tags, letter styles or palette. Often a term related to “toys” (see below).

Black book – A sketchbook of a graffiti artist, a treasured possession. Usually, it’s filled with sketches of new pieces or other writers’ tags, containing the entirety of an artist’s body of work. A document of illegal works, a black book is carefully hidden away from authorities, so it doesn’t become evidence against its author.

Buff – To erase, paint over in one dull color, or otherwise remove graffiti, often with chemicals and pressure guns with sand or water.

Burn – To burn can mean either to make a better piece than a rival artist, or to snitch on someone (on purpose or accidentally). A burner piece is a complicated work that takes a lot of time and effort, a style statement, often legal.

Cannons – Spray cans. Term that probably originates in Brooklyn, NY.

Cap – Or Tips – is the nozzle for the spray paint can. Different types of aerosol caps are used to get different effects or styles, from Thins, Rustos, to Fatcap.

Crew – Also spelled as Cru or Krew, is a group of writers that work together, usually in a similar style. Although crew activity does reflect gang behavior, their prime objective is graffiti and not serious criminal. Crews often engage in large collaborative pieces, but a crew piece can also be executed by anyone in a group. If a single member is arrested, he can be held liable for a joint work.

Culture jamming – The act of subverting media culture and mainstream cultural marketing according to the principles of anti-consumerist social movements. A form of subvertising or adbusting, usually with a distinctively political purpose.

Deface / Cap / Go over – To ruin another artist’s piece. A writer named “Cap” would rudely make throw ups over existing graffiti, giving a name to this infamous practice.
Going over a piece is the ultimate sign of disrespect and represents a declaration of graffiti war. Still, there is a hierarchy of styles in which case going over can be tolerated. Usually, it means that low quality work is OK to be painted over with something better. The other way around is generally unacceptable.

Dress-up – To paint over a specific enclosed are entirely – to completely change a shop window or a doorway that has previously been graffiti-free.

Fatcap – A wide spray can nozzle, that covers a wide area at once, used to fill in the pieces.

German Montana – A brand specializing in graffiti-related products, such as spray cans etc. Not related to Spanish Montana, a company that came up with the idea first. The two companies had a dispute over the name.

Ghost – A paint stain that is left after a graffiti work has been badly buffed.

Hat (honor among thieves) – For an artist with a solid reputation in the graffiti community, a trusted member who does not snitch, is said that he’s wearing a “hat”.

Head / King – Head is a highly respected writer in a certain area, similar to King or Queen. Kings or Queens are graffiti artists that are famous among other writers for their skill, style or courage. Self-proclaimed kings often paint crowns into their work, but this practice is risky because their claim must be valid in the eyes of the others. Usually, kings or queens are declared by other kings or queens.

Heaven spot (Heavens) – Challenging pieces of graffiti painted in places that are almost impossible to reach and require a significant level of acrobatics. Painting in heaven spots can lead to injury or death (they can ‘hit up heavens’), which only contributes to the reputation of the writer. Furthermore, heavens are also rather difficult to remove.

Hip-hop – Late 70s and early 70s culture marked by early rap music, breakdancing and visual style that gave birth to the graffiti culture.

Invisible – A rare and symbolic form of graffiti that represents only quickly sketched logos.

Krylon – A brand of spray paint, once popular with writers, heavily used in the 70s and 80s. A sign of graffiti nostalgia, known for its 5-spot logo. Despite a new line of paint issued in 2008, it’s considered that only a toy would use a 360 krylon, the cheapest variation of the spray can. The first line of paint, “original krylon”, is considered a collectors’ item.

Landmark – A graffiti piece executed in a location that is hard to reach or hidden, difficult to buff, generally in place for at least 5 years. Usually marked with a date of painting. These works are held in high regard by the writers.

Legal wall – A piece that is made legalley, with permission from the wall owner or the authorities. Only a testified illegal writers can get respect for legal walls.

Lock on – Sculpture in public spaces, generally locked or chained to public fittings such as light posts and similar. It’s non-destructive, installation-type of art.

Married couple – A vintage subway term originating from New York, signifying two subway cars that are permanently tied to each other. In graffiti, it means two whole cars painted next to each other, sometimes with a painting being connected across the gap – a sign of the “marriage”.

Moniker – A street name of an artist, their nickname and label.

Pichação – Celebrated style of graffiti created in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Created by the misfits as a form of social protest, these works bear considerable risk, being painted in hard-to-reach places. More popular for its meaning than for its stylistic qualities.

Post-graffiti – A generic, recent term that includes everything that could be seen as Street Art.

Rooftop – Heaven graffiti painted on rooftops.

Rook – A trustworthy crew member.

Run – Time that a graffiti piece spends on a surface without being removed, duration of a piece. “It run for a year” can be said.

Slam – To do graffiti in a very public or otherwise risky location.

Slash – To cross-out or to tag over a piece of another writer. A serious insult – same as Cap.

Spanish Montana – A brand specializing in graffiti-related products, such as spray cans etc. Not related to German Montana, a company of the same name that followed the steps of Spanish Montana. The two companies had a dispute over the name.

Toy – A word describing either poor work or a painter without skill, sometimes a newbie. “To toy” someone else’s graffiti means to go over it. An acronym meaning “tag over your shit”, often placed on top of bad, or “toy” work.

Tree – Graffiti that is chiseled into a tree bark.

Undersides – Graffiti painted on the underside of a subway or train car. Often lasts longer than the usual train tag, because it’s spotted later and not as visible.

Whole car/ whole train – A large graffiti piece executed by one or multiple writers that covers the entire outside surface of a train car. Whole train graffiti covers the entirety of a train.
Difficult to paint, these works are more often collaborative, done in limited amounts of time (often under 5 minutes) with limited color schemes. If successful, this is one of the most respected graffiti forms out there.

Writer – A graffiti artist.

Wildstyle piece on Berlin U8 – Photo by Katia H.

Styles

3D Style – An effect used on basic graffiti letters to add an illusion of a third dimension. The first artist who started embellishing letters in this way is Phase 2. In graffiti culture, 3D refers to letter writing, but there is another version of 3D painting on pavement that is very popular called Chalk art. Chalk art and 3D graffiti are very different in both concept and aesthetics and they are not to be mixed.

Abstract Style – Letters are generally not a part of the Abstract style, but the painterly skill and harmony an artist demonstrates in a piece. The goal is similar to abstract painting – to make a harmonious piece with specific dynamics and balance by the use of basic artistic elements – line, shape, geometry, color and composition.

Anti-Style / Ugly Style – Also known as “ghetto style” or “ignorant style”. A deliberately toy or seemingly unskilled style of writing and painting. It stems from the 70s graffiti culture in New York, but it spread gaining popularity in the 80s and early 90s in San Francisco. Anti-style does not follow any rules and is highly individualized, but often visually awkward. We can see examples of this type of painting in San Francisco, New York, Paris, Berlin and other bigger cities in Europe.

Backjump – A throw-up or a panel piece that is executed quickly, often on a momentarily parked train or bus.

Blockbuster Style – Blockbuster or “straight” letters are big, square, robust and simple. More readable than most graffiti, they are usually painted in two colors, often combinations of plain black, white and silver. Used to go over other work, or to cover train sides more easily, blockbusters are good for supreme coverage.

Bombing – An act of painting many different walls inside one city area or train within a very short timeframe. To “hit”. Graffiti bombers are prone to using simpler styles, tags or throw-ups, because speed is an important factor. It can also mean – to go out writing.

Bubble Style – An old, a bit dated graffiti style of simple, rounded, bubble-shaped letters, generally easy to read. Throw-ups are often painted in this style, because it’s easy and quick to execute.

Cartoon / Character – A widely recognized cartoon or a character figure often borrowed from comics, popular culture or TV. Writers dedicated to cartoons often invent their own characters and imagery. Cartoon graffiti adds humor to a piece, easily adapted to the most of the lettering styles.

Challenge (Insides) – Challenge graffiti is made to mark that somebody “was there”. Just like insides, it’s often painted indoors. Insides are a more specific reference to tags written inside public transportation vehicles – trains, busses etc.

Complex Style – A generic term for graffiti that uses complicated lettering, an abundance of color and that is hard to execute. These works are difficult to read, but they are visually impressive.

Dubs (UK) – Graffiti executed in silver or chrome paint, originating from London, UK. They can be found around railway stations or in the streets. Dubs are usually a crew effort.

Free Style – A combination of styles without one defining characteristic. An individual expression.

Full Monty – A piece that covers an entire area, wall or object. It can contain a coarse, but a highly effective message.

Mop – A homemade graffiti painting tool. Usually used to paint larger tags. It has a rounded tip and leaves a fat line that drips. Mops can be done in different paints.

Mural – A wall painting applied on either outside or an inside surface, or a ceiling. In street art, it refers to a large, elaborate wall piece that requires significant skill to paint. Unlike graffiti, murals normally respect the architecture of the wall and the building, sometimes even the surroundings. They are often legal.

Old School – A generic term that refers to the times of early graffiti, to the 70s and early 80s. It can relate to the hip-hop music of that period as well. Old-school writers enjoy a lot of respect because they were there from the beginning, many of them having invented particular styles of writing. For example, Phase 2 created bubbles, clouds and 3D, and Blade and Comet started using blockbusters first.

Own Style – A style characteristic for one specific writer.

Piece (free-hand) – Short for “masterpiece”, painted free-hand. A big and complex piece of wall painting that is time-consuming and difficult to execute. It’s characterised by many different components, such as rich palette, 3D elements, and other visual marks. A work of a more experienced writer, earning them extra respect.

Punition – A type of graffiti writing in which one word is repeated countless times, until it covers an entire surface. The name comes from the punition lines used to punish children at school.

Roller graffiti – Graffiti that is painted with a roller and paint, rather than with a spray can. There are special techniques related to this type of writing.

Semi-Wildstyle – A simpler form of Wildstyle, more discernible than the full-on wildstyle writing.

Sharp – A manner of writing very geometric, angular letters with lost of sharp angles and corners, taking the pointy and piercing elements to an extreme. Letters are altered greatly,often unrecognizable, giving off a fierce and furious impression.

Tag – A signature of a writer, very stylized, written quickly, usually in one color that contrasts the background. Denotes the artist’s moniker. The simplest and the most common type of graffiti. Used as a verb, “to tag” means “to sign”, which derives from a classical practice of artists signing their works.

Tagging – To write tags. An accepted term in today’s pop culture, often meaning something other than graffiti writing. After it first appeared in Philadelphia with messages Bobby Beck was leaving around city’s freeways, tagging has evolved in many different ways. Different manners of tagging can be found in different cities, often depending on the region and local culture, and naturally, the artist himself. New York tag writer of the early 70s, TAKI 183 is considered one of the forefathers of graffiti and tagging in general.

Throw-up – Sometimes called a “throwie” is a simple form of graffiti, sitting between a tag and a bomb. It’s usually painted with a simple letter outline and then filled with color. Hollow throw-ups are called “Hollows”, while painted are known as “Fill-ins”. Throw-ups are often made in bubble or blockbuster style that support quick execution. Artists would use throw-ups and tags to cover as many surfaces as possible, competing with their rivals. These graffiti works are stylistically defined and recognizable, unlike pieces that are more liberated and painterly. Along with a tag, a throw-up is an artist’s logo.

Wildstyle – Very complex and highly stylized form of lettering that is often impossible to read by non-writers. The letters can get so complicated, borderline abstract, containing 3D elements, with a lot of connections, arrows, and interlocking. Generally, wildstyle is seen as one of the most demanding graffiti writing styles, reserved only for those with serious skill.

Tags. Xoooox is among them. – Photo by Katia H.

Techniques

Domming -A spray-painting color mixing technique where one color is sprayed over another wet layer and the two nuances are then rubbed together. An abrasive tool, such as sand or sandpaper, can be used to create effects in domming. The term derives from the word “condom”, synonymous to “rubber”. Sometimes referred to as “fingering”, because it’s executed with fingers.

Etching – In graffiti, it refers to the use of acid solutions to create frosted glass (Etch Bath), to write on windows. Potentially hazardous. In Norway, there were trains taken off the rails because of the danger these solutions posed for public health.

Extinguisher bombing – To do graffiti with a fire extinguisher filled with paint. This technique can cover large surfaces, but it leaves a fat, messy, dripping line and it’s not suitable for fine work.

Fading – An aerosol color blending technique.

Fill-ins – A term denoting the painted interior of letters, throw-ups or pieces, usually in a single, solid color.

Installation – An art genre of three-dimensional, site-specific works that are usually created having that particular locale in mind. They can be executed in the interior or in the exterior. Exterior installations fall into the domain of public art, land art, public interventions or street art, although these art forms often overlap.

Outlining – Making a sketch or a preparatory drawing, done on paper or in a black book while planning a piece. An outline can also refer to a wall sketch, or to the contour of a throw-up or similar graffiti work, a boundary that can be filled.

Poster – A paper-based work created in the studio that can be wheat-pasted onto a wall. Following a long and rich history of poster art, graffiti culture has taken this easy and effective public expression tool and transformed it into one of the most favored paste-up formats.

Scriber – A scribing or scratching tool. An instrument tipped with a ceramic or a diamond drill bit, used to engrave a tag into a surface, usually inside a public vehicle. A destructive tool.

Scribing / Scratching -Also known as “scratchitti”, scribing is a destructive technique of hand-engraving or scratching a tag into a surface. It can be done using a simple key, knife or sand paper, although scribing pros use a Scriber.

Stencil – One of the most popular form of street art. Stencil pieces are made with stencils made out of cardboard, paper and other materials that help create a nice, figurative image quickly and well. The pre-prepared design is cut out and then transferred onto a wall with a spray or roll-on paint. Easily repeated on different walls. Multiple layers of stencils can create very beautiful and elaborate images, allowing the use of a lot of colors and details.

Sticker – Stickers are used to bomb, slap or tag a surface or an area without writing. Graffiti stickers are usually designed and printed well ahead, containing traits of an artist’s style as well as his message. Sticker messages often contain political or social critique, referring to a specific issue. Many brands produce their own stickers.

Wheatpasting / Paste-up – Wheat paste or flour paste is an adhesive made of flour or starch and water. It’s used to glue paper-based images to a wall, giving a name to a street art technique. Many artists who create their paper-based works in the studio engage in wheatpasting when they distribute their pieces around an area. These works can be simple or complex, depending on an individual artist. Works made and installed this way are called paste-ups. The technique is quick and easy to execute in the street, although each piece can take a lot of time to invent and prepare in the studio, showing the artistic mastery of its author.

Yarn bombing – A recent type of street art activity that makes use of crocheted or knitted colorful yarn coverings, thrown on different parts of public furniture such as sculptures, fences, light posts, monuments etc. It’s also known as guerrilla knitting, urban knitting, or yarn storming.

A bat stencil – Author unknown – Photo by Katia H.

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/urban-public-performance-art/ Tue, 06 Mar 2018 09:33:37 +0000 https://berlinstreetart.com/?p=2659/

1UP Crew – Graffiti Olympics. Image courtesy of One United Power/Selina Miles

A movement, an accumulation of styles, a powerful public display of creativity or a social critique, Urban Art can be regarded from many different angles. Those who delve more into the theory of art can surely recognize manifold connections Urban Art has with various avant-garde and postmodern art movements of the 20th century, but we sadly must admit that for the most, it may only stand for all those pretty or interesting pictures on the outside city walls. Although the visual element is certainly its strongest aspect, Urban Art usually more than a picture or a tag.

Urban Art designs usually carry a potent message connected to the environment they are placed in related to either social, economic or cultural circumstances. Exactly these messages are the essence of the engaging images. They are manifestations of the artists’ original ideas, created through a unique process that connects contemplation, creativity, and action, that is sometimes deliberately illegal. This creative process says tons about artworks produced, it’s inevitable and an effective Urban Art piece cannot be imagined without this type of conceptual background.

As an amalgamation of different ideas, techniques, and methods, Urban Art is particularly colored by the fact that it’s executed in the public domain. Often without permission, such acts or interventions emerge as a special type of performance, usually conducted without an audience, although the audience is well aware of the activities preceding a painting or an installation. The audience is also the factor that both connects and makes the difference between performance and Urban Art since its role is as equally important, but it’s involved in a different way. Similarly to influential performance artworks, many of the Street and Urban Art actions are video documented, and those that are not, still contain an extensive preparation necessary to make a piece, from location scouting to creation and installation of a piece.

If we accept that the performative element is inherent to Urban Art, it’s hard not to wonder about its importance within the discourse.

Thomas von Wittich – You Heard of Us, Berlin Kidz

What is Performance Art and How It Connects with Urban Art

Challenge of traditional artistic conventions has always been one of the core ideas of performance art. Called “actions” by Joseph Beuys, performances often borrowed methods or tools from other art forms or from non-artistic areas like everyday tasks, work or ceremonial practices. Described as “live art”, performance is both avant-garde and ephemeral, it usually carries a powerful social and political message, while historically it has been connected with different anarchic or radical cultural movements, from Dada to feminism. Still, performance art has always kept its immaterial nature and that is what separates it from any other art.

Similarly to performance art, Urban Art is essentially defiant. Looking back to the very beginnings of Graffiti-style writing and train bombing, we find a desire to be seen, to participate in society in a unique way and most importantly – a purposeful engagement with the audience. This aim to interact with the public is one of the crucial connections between Urban Art, Street Art, Graffiti and performance, although the process and the contact are conducted in a completely different manner. One of the main differences is also the fact that Urban Art always leaves a material trace behind.

There is also a conceptual connection between Urban Art and performance, because both of the practices are very political. When we look at the history of performance art, we can find countless analyses of the human condition viewed through a particular societal or theoretical prism. Urban Art can be just as political, dealing with local or global issues from another angle, from basic rebellion against the system to more complex ideas such as French Situationism.

When we compare the two ways of expression, we can find distinctive performative qualities in the creative process of any street artist. It’s process-based art, where the process is woven deeply into the meaning of the final work.

SP38 – Erased. Photo by Katia H.

Key Differences Between Urban Art and Performance

One of the biggest differences between Urban Art and performance is the matter of artist’s identity. While in performances we know who the artist is, moreover – they voluntarily share details about their lives with the public, in the streets we are only left with a moniker. The majority of creatives performing in the street remains anonymous because of the following issue.

Another characteristic that separates performance art from Urban Art is the legality of the process. Performances are usually done legally, in institutions, with all the necessary permits. Even the early, controversial performances (such as the legendary Cut Piece by Yoko Ono from 1964) were conducted so that both the artist and the audience are aware of the consequences. In Urban Art, the legal is somewhat tricky. Since the first public tags, Graffiti or paste-ups, this type of art was more often than not considered vandalism, which made it completely illegal. Over time, many artists accepted this illicit nature of their practice as a given, building on its rebellious nature. Urban Art performance is, therefore, a “live” element of socially engaged art, in which the importance of public audience is shown once the piece is complete and the message is out. What makes this performative constituent critical is the knowledge that someone has conducted a work without authorization successfully. This recognition of the artist’s courage and dedication can be as inspirational as the final piece. Sometimes even more.

Alaniz, Böckhstrasse, Photo by Katia H.

Urban Artists Performing in Berlin Today

Historically, Berlin has always been the center of both Urban Art and performance art. Throughout the 80s and 90s, a number of visual artists performed illegally on the city’s streets, in front of the Wall in West Berlin before the reunification, and in Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg around Kunsthaus Tacheles after 1990. The defiant spirit was very much alive around the that historical turning point, while Graffiti writers were taking huge risks by painting on the Berlin Wall, around S-Bahn rails, on trains and rooftops. This local tradition can be found today in the performative actions of Berlin Kidz and 1UP crew, two collectives fearless in their dedication to Graffiti art and the city.

Thinking about the performative nature of Urban Art gives another dimension to art spotting during city walks. Knowing local laws might make the entire experience all the more exciting since illegal art is not treated the same way everywhere in the world. In Berlin, Graffiti and Street Art is generally not frowned upon, unless it becomes dangerous. This is what makes the German capital one of the best places to see Urban with substance.

Berlin Kidz

When it comes to extreme performance, the Berlin Kidz collective leads the way. Their work does not only involve graffiti writing or installations in impossible places, their work involves elaborate stunts such as repelling, train roof riding on bikes, or trespassing. Considered hazardous, they have been chased by the police multiple times, but never caught. Their style is drawn from the Brazilian pixação graffiti painting practice, usually found on tall, abandoned buildings of São Paolo. By some, this bombing manner is not even considered art, although the Berlin Kidz elaborate their cryptic expression beyond the written message. Their goal is to fight the system by “sticking it to the man”, while their art points out to some of the most burning political questions related to Berlin’s urban environment.

1UP Crew

Right beside Berlin Kidz, there is the united 1UP crew, a group of graffiti artists who keep bombing the city by climbing rooftops and trains since 2003, escaping the scene James Bond style. They are known to work even in broad daylight, spray painting together and completing huge throw-ups in minutes. They treated the Berlin U-Bahn for the last New Year’s Eve with a tag painted at midnight in under 5 minutes! Since we cannot discuss the execution of their speed-painted work, the performance marks the key factor in activities of the 1UP crew.

Kripoe, Berlin. Source

Kripoe

Kripoe, a former member of the famed CBS crew (put to sleep in 2005), is responsible for one of the most famous images sprayed in Berlin. He is the author of the notorious yellow fists, painted often in pairs in completely unexpected places. Interpreted as a symbol of rebellion and anarchy resistance, these fists raise another question of how the artist got to the particular location, in which painting often seems utterly impossible.

Rocco und seine Brüder – Secret Bedroom Discovered, Berlin. Source

Rocco und seine Brüder

Active since 2000, Rocco und seine Brüder collective has been installing their work around Berlin drawing attention to various social and political issues the city faces. One of their first installations from 2016, “Secret Bedroom Discovered” raised a number of questions about the homeless and the refugee crisis while attracting a lot of media attention. As their art remains conceptual, its performative quality emerges as an important factor, especially given the elaborate nature of their work. In 2017, the collective’s project called “In God we trust” called drew a lot of attention, being tweeted even by the official Berlin Police. Rocco und seine Brüder installed a prayer bench in front of ATM machine in an U-Bahn station, thus creating an altar from the money machine, while posing universal question about capitalism and the relationship of man, money and morals.

TOY Crew

Recent activities of the TOY Crew are also founded in social criticism, putting the focus on justice and equality. When the city did wrong to the weakest social groups, the homeless for example, this crew showed up and bombed the place with items such as chairs chained down for them to rest on. The city had previously removed the benches hoping to resolve the problem of homeless in U-Bahn stations that way

SP38 Berlin. Photo by Katia H.

SP38

One Street artist using paste-ups has been active in Berlin since 1995. It’s SP38, an artist who adopted the city as his own, while he keeps spreading anti-capitalist, sarcastic and critical slogans through his recognizable lettering/typography and posters. Sharp and gentle at the same time, his words invite us to Escape the reality or to fight the status quo, referring to the matters of economic and social crisis or gentrification. Placed in gentrified or future gentrified areas, his work “Erased” is a direct allusion to the vanishing of authentic spots in Berlin. His performance is contained within his persistence of pasting messages (changing with the context of time) for the Berliners for more than 20 years.

Alaniz – Art is Dead, Berlin. Photo by Katia H.

Alaniz

Argentinian artist settled in Berlin, Alaniz, has become known for his paintings conducted with a telescopic brush or a roller. He focuses on what is humane in his subjects, giving life to marginalized characters from society. The process he perfected over the years results in impressive images, emphasizing the importance of his action. Moreover, all of his works are rather large in scale, requiring a lot of time and effort to be completed, a sportive artistic performance, while his topics range from questioning of art to highlighting the ongoing refugee crisis.

SOZI36, Kreuzberg, February 2017. Photo by Katia H.

SOZI36

Active since 1996, SOZI36 is certainly the favorite social activist of Kreuzberg. Decorating furniture, mattresses and other objects with witty text, SOZI36 disperses a strong political message, criticizing very local issues, global politics, and raising voice against capitalism and imperialism. His tags and installations are mostly found in Kreuzberg, although he works wherever he goes to communicate through messages with the public.

OSTAP – Courtesy of the artist

OSTAP

And as another Berlin’s creative who executed the latest elaborate stencils directly on walls, we have Tape and Street Artist, OSTAP, who creates figurative acrylic works that take several days to be completed. These monumental pieces are mostly sarcastic and pointi out political issues or comment the change of Berlin in the last years, especially his work “Noah’s Berlin Ark” from 2014 that was transformed into “Titanic” in 2017.

Mentioning some of the most prominent urban artists creating in Berlin today, the presence and the importance of the performative component becomes even more apparent. What sets Urban Art/Street performance apart as an expression in its own right is not only the action, it’s the political message it carries, which is always disobedient, audacious, directed against the capitalist system, and most importantly – locally relevant.

Consultant: Katia Hermann

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/street-art-gentrification/ https://openwallsgallery.com/street-art-gentrification/#respond Wed, 07 Feb 2018 10:48:40 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=7246

Thomas von Wittich – The F Word by Berlin Kidz, 2016. Crop.

The world is experiencing a trend of urbanization, while experts estimate that by the year 2050, about 66% of the planet’s population will reside within cities. Good or bad, cities are definitely the future of the human race, as rapidly growing, everchanging centers of economy, politics, and culture. Ever since the industrial revolution, ongoing changes have gone hand in hand with urban environments, but it was only in the sixties when one more complicated, cultural and economic issue arose – the matter of gentrification.

Coined in 1964 by Ruth Glass, gentrification meant that “The social status of many residential areas is being ‘uplifted’ as the middle class—or the ‘gentry’—moved into working-class space, taking up residence, opening businesses, and lobbying for infrastructure improvements.” As a consequence, working-class families were forced to move out due to the inevitable rise in housing and real estate prices. Coming into focus in the past one or two decades, gentrification has changed little of its original methods since its continuously changing the way cities look and feel across the globe while creating the same, discriminatory social outcome.

It would be wrong to claim that gentrification is the same in every corner of the Earth, and it’s clear that it differs greatly between the USA and Europe already, but there is one particular feature that follows this phenomenon faithfully, regardless of where it’s happening. This feature is art.

View of 5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, January 2013. Source Wikimedia Commons

Street Art and Gentrification – A Tight Relationship

There is a general notion that the first of the four waves of gentrification is led by “artists, bohemians, and gays”, as harbingers of transformation. This often means that the first shiny mural brings something other than aesthetics. It’s often followed by hoards young successful people (the infamous hipsters) seeking an “authentic” lifestyle, populated with “cute” shops and street art. There has been more than one protest against this type of gentrification, from New York, LA to London and Berlin, although the process appears unstoppable. This is perhaps why a special odium has been directed towards Street Art, especially when it starts popping around derelict city areas, with little artistic background.

Although it often rejects it, street art can definitely serve as a catalyst for gentrification, but it can also fall victim to this process. On many occasions, artists do not participate in the neighborhood upscaling consciously, but they are manipulated by real estate developers. When developers detect a lively borough with colorful shops, street art, and galleries, they immediately see a chance for excellent investment returns.

One of the most prominent examples of the artists being played is the story of 5Pointz in Queens. One the heart of the graffiti movement, the building is today demolished with a new condominium complex being built in its place. The key point here is that artists were given permission to paint on the old structure without restraint by the owner Jack Wolkoff, since the 1990s. When the building became a famous pilgrimage site for the street art lovers worldwide, he decided to develop it, completely disregarding the significance the site had for the art community. A group of artists did sue under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, but the process is far from over.

In Europe, London is among the leading cities protesting against gentrification, although its Shoreditch and Hackney have already been changed. In New York, Williamsburg and Bushwick are the symbols for this phenomenon, and in Miami, it’s Wynwood. All of these neighborhoods are covered with different types of Street Art, from small tags and stencils to murals.

A different type of manipulation of street artists seems to be happening in Berlin. While one of its famous squats, Kunsthaus Tacheles, was completely abandoned under pressure in 2012, different Kiez have grown into small Street Art centers. Many of them have been welcoming both local and international artists, but the problem began when numerous talented creatives started being invited to embellish facades in different developing neighborhoods, while few of them actually engaged with the local community. Since the project funded by a real-estate developer, many figures from the Berlin’s scene are protesting the outcome. Looking as far as Australia, Melbourne appears to have the same problem. It will be interesting to monitor how these far-apart urban communities will handle and resolve the issue over time.

A burning gentrification-related issue in Berlin concerns its clubbing hub, the RAW area, which is undergoing a gentrification plan similar to 5Pointz. A local resident told us that about ten years ago, the area was semi-abandoned, with heaps of empty warehouses. It was a “paradise for artists and writers all over the world” he said, and the only people who actually spent time there lived in the area. Today, only one decade later, the area turned into a Berlin’s own hipster purlieu, not unlike Shoreditch. Nobody knows how long will this über cool, semi run-down environment survive, but there are rumors of real estate developers eyeing the area and that there might be even a plan to demolish it by 2020 in order to build a huge office complex! According to the resident who shared the story, the whole plan hides an even greater political game. Located in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, a left-wing governed borough, RAW area would definitely change the electoral distribution if it housed a sudden surge of wealthier, right-wing voters. However, if luxury offices are built, then they can be either rented or purchased by the conservatives, but they would not become residents and the political situation would remain unchanged. It’s safe to claim that not many leftists would be able to afford shiny new offices in this or any other area, especially if they come from the artistic sphere. The conclusion would be that there might be some kind of a deal between the local government and the real estate developer, in order to make the profit and keep the power at the same time, whereas ideology has little to do with anything. If this rumor proves to be true, who knows how the area will change in the following decade, with hordes of yuppies wanting their working surroundings clean and inoffensive. We are yet to see if the word of the street will come true.

Is this gentrification? Shepard Fairey’s controversial mural in Detroit. Source

How to Recognize the Gentrification Art

A political movement, Street Art has grown into one of the most diverse artistic phenomena today, coming in various forms and sizes, from the smallest stencils to the largest wall paintings. Utilizing its multifaceted nature and the vast diversity of the street art techniques, gentrification directors managed to sneak their agenda beneath the glossy imagery. In a rather bleak article from 2015, Rafael Schacter argued that “It appears political while, in fact, being perfectly non-partisan. It performs a charade of rebellion and insurgence, while being officially sanctioned by commission and invitation. It constructs the perfect “cool” conditions for the “bohemian” hubs that the creative city requires. Yet it has severed itself from its radical roots, not simply by selling itself, but (even worse) by selling a false notion of place,” highlighting the benign concept of the gentrification-led murals. This characteristic could be the first thing an observer can notice when deciding whether the beautification process is at hand.

Street art must interact with the public in a natural, spontaneous and creative way”, a scholar Nicholas Riggle pointed out in a 2013 article written by Fanny Arlandis on the subject.

According to these educated arguments, it’s easy to conclude that when there is no context, there is no veracity. And that a pretty picture is just not enough.

Urban Nation Cover

Accused to be the creator of pretty pictures – Urban Nation Museum. Source https://www.facebook.com/urbannationberlin/

Artwashing – Hiding Behind the Picture

The term “artwashing” was coined to criticise corporate sponsorship of the arts, with advertising being masked underneath the artsy appearance, but it has assumed a much wider meaning since. It remains very relevant in terms of both gentrification and street art, interconnected with the significance and malign nature of advertising, often denounced, but also supported, by various artists.

For example, more than 60 galleries opened in NYC’s Chinatown in the past three years. Still, Los Angeles’ neighborhood of Boyle Heights emerged as one of the first battlefields against artwashing, but even though the community is still very vocal, the upscaling seems difficult to stop.

This problem arises when artists are followed by galleries and other players in the art market. Given that attractive new neighborhoods offer lower rents with trendy environments, manny gallerists prefer to relocate, aiding the gentrification along the way. Many of them bring their own programs with, setting up new spaces amidst the already existing cultural environment. Without interacting with the local community, these spaces provide an extra luster to the trendiness of the upcoming hood, making it seem OK because it’s art. They are, in fact, “artwashing” the gentrification, providing it with moral justification of sorts.

Still, there are galleries that do choose to relocate to the developing neighborhoods but opt to work with local artists, engage the community and aim to contribute to the quality of life, rather than ignore the existing cultural setting.

Famous squat and art hub, Kunsthaus Tacheles, from the West. Now closed. Source Wikimedia Commons

A Good Side of Gentrification

Despite the largely negative criticism coming from all sides in relation to art-led gentrification, not all experts deem it as a negative event. An article written by Jonathan Wynn and Andrew Deene claims that this process could be beneficial, and even “save” some cities, especially the smaller urban centers that are facing bankruptcy. Among the examples, they mentioned the city of North Adams, Massachusetts and the MASS MoCA museum that has been aiding the local economy for several years, without threatening the local communities.

A study conducted by Rachel Meltzer of New York’s Milano School of International Affairs at The New School examined in which way did the gentrification impact small businesses in New York City between 1990 and 2011. The finding was that small businesses are overall not displaced at levels higher than that seen in non-gentrified neighborhoods, thus opposing the general opinion.

Finally, Detroit is one of the cities that might benefit from a little gentrification, claims Joel Kurth, since it’s still (not very successfully) recovering from the housing market crisis of 2007. Ever since, the Motor City deviated from its long industrial history and became something else. Although it’s a proud center of a lively Street Art scene, it appears to have been hit by gentrification very lightly. It’s undeniable that Detroit became one of the Street Art centers over the past decade, with growing art community and artists swarming the town. However, it may be that due to the lack of institutional support that the arts never grew to become a magnet for others, like it usually happens, despite the city being host to one of the biggest mural festivals in the States. To be fair, this might just prove to be a good experiment, because without too much commercialization, price surge and gentrification, the Rock City might just prove to grow into a very unique, influential and international contemporary art hub.

Observing the urban renewal process from a different angle, we have to agree that it is a complex phenomenon. While it may be spearheaded by art, the creative sphere lies far from its core. It’s rather a mask put on by the large capital in order to make the upscaling more appealing to the people. Seduced by the charm up-and-coming neighborhoods possess, sometimes even locals can swallow the change more easily, but when it comes to the point – the need to control gentrification comes out stronger than ever.

Famous murals by Blu in Berlin, removed in 2015 by the artist in protest of gentrification. Source Wikimedia Commons

Can We Control Gentrification with Art?

Street Art is organically connected with the local economy. It’s a result of each individual environment and its laws, its political situation and its social tendencies. Therefore, it’s not very surprising that cities often feature street art as a means to attract more tourists. More and more artists are creating murals with permission from the government and the officials are realizing the importance of public art and aesthetics. In general, Street Art has been gaining recognition and it strikes a vastly positive note globally. With its role in the gentrification being undisputable, what can Street Art professionals do in order to minimize the negative effects of the process?

Perhaps one of the first things the artists should mind is their own behavior towards the environment they choose to live in. Oftentimes, creatives show the need to create a “new” community, ignoring the cultural setting they have found. Thus, they are pushing the change, ignoring the local community and welcoming other gentrifiers. So, the solution would be to do the opposite – to engage with the community, to learn about the history and the people occupying the area, and to help preserve the actual spirit of the place. It’s critical to be aware of the struggles of the vulnerable social groups, aiding them to fight against discrimination and harassment. In this regard, public art can be a powerful tool in representing the community and criticizing the contemporary way of life, in sharing ideas and inviting the residents to engage in the neighborhood’s development, while keeping its culture and history intact. Or as Shepard Fairey put it in a year-old interview he gave to the Miami New Times: “I think the argument about the evolution of neighborhoods and gentrification is a lot more complex than the role of art. But if we’re focusing on art and artists, I do think that acknowledging the history of a place is the polite thing to do.” Although we cannot but agree with Fairey, we also cannot overlook his rather controversial involvements when it comes to authorized mural painting around the world. Some of those happened in Berlin, too.

If we agree that art might be a factor in gentrification, we can surely recognize that it’s hardly the chief reason behind it. In the hands of the money players, real estate developers and profit seekers, Street art is often treated as nothing more than wallpaper. As citizens of the world, urban dwellers, and art professionals, we are under the obligation to engage, follow and speak up whenever we feel that art is being misused or misinterpreted to the benefit of different corporations.

Only this way, preserving a community through art will become not only possible, but it could drive a change where gentrification might eventually change its substance, from discriminatory to inclusive.

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/urban-art-museum-berlin/ https://openwallsgallery.com/urban-art-museum-berlin/#respond Thu, 04 Jan 2018 11:54:22 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=7156

Urban Nation Museum. Source https://www.facebook.com/urbannationberlin/

The world of social media changed everything. Without it, street art might not have become so wildly popular, but also, perhaps, not even remotely so recklessly exploited. In 2016, we got closely acquainted with the post-truth and in 2017, we have felt this phenomenon soar through every aspect of life. And street art has definitely fallen a victim. Because what seems like such a great story online can easily turn out to be something completely different.

In September, Berlin got its own “Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art”. Announced in 2016, this aspiring “institution for art” has been successfully selling a well-curated insta-story, without any real connection to the city. Masking its real face with pretty photographs of colorful murals, well-known names of international street artists and a general hype over its projects, this young organization slid a giant serving of gentrification under the carpet, leaving the locals in bewilderment. What was presented as a perfectly innocent embellishment of Berlin’s neighborhoods was actually a supporting project for the real-estate scheme conceived by the Berliner Leben foundation, financed and managed by the urban housing company Gewobag.

To be fair, it was never a secret that Urban Nation is funded by the Berliner Leben Stiftung, so it’s hardly a surprise that it has always functioned in the interest of its prime sponsor. However, when the art-driven venture appeared, led by international curator Yasha Young in 2013, it was welcomed by the street art community as a fresh addition to the scene. Contrary to expectations, it’s a general agreement among urban art community professionals from Berlin that establishing contact and collaboration with Urban Nation has been practically impossible. Despite the community’s attempts to establish a rapport, no effort has ever been made from the other side to respond or engage. Instead, secretive deals have rolled out from it without any clear reference to the neighborhood, often including popular international artists, but excluding artists and individuals who live and create in Berlin. The end result proved to add value only to the buildings hosting the murals since these shiny paintings had little to nothing to do with the neighborhood.

When the opening of the Urban Nation Museum was confirmed, the attempt of local urban art professionals to participate was further rejected. According to the statement Jochen Küpper, the director of Urban Affairs from Berlin, gave to Artslant, “Many international artists were invited, but the local scene was mostly ignored“. Such blatant disregard for the domestic art community is the exact opposite of what the Urban Nation claims to be doing. But, since I find that results speak louder than words, let’s turn to the museum itself.

As expected, the “Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art” was inaugurated rather pompously. Creating the buzz all across the social media and the internet outlets, it continued to create a pseudo-elite circle of supporters, flashing the names of the internationally acclaimed artists. The building opened with a great party and heaps of program-related promises, none of which endured. Many of the visitors proclaimed positive experiences at first, and the online platforms exploded with affirmative messages, all seduced by the hyped luster of the space. With virtually none of the voices praising the project is personally involved in the Urban and street art in Berlin, it’s clear that this surge of acclamations was either pre-ordered or the result of sensationalist, superficial reporting. In reality, many of the Berliners, including artists, curators, collectors and other enthusiasts, who visited the museum have seen only one thing – a candy-colored disaster.

One artist that I know compared the inauguration party to the “opening of H&M on a  Black Friday” or to the “opening of a cheap sparkling wine”, given that the atmosphere was saturated with lights, breakdance, and a loud, frivolous crowd. Having given the benefit of a doubt to the organizers later visits to the museum proved to be no better.

There are many problems regarding the organization of this institution, starting from the fact that there is no information about the artists inside the museum whatsoever, no chronology or other sensible order, no map of the space, and no documentation an interested visitor might want to read. Due to the lack of facts, the collection and the building have no clear reference to the subversive nature of Street Art, missing out on one of the key points related to the movement. There isn’t one reference to Thierry Noir and his involvement with the Berlin Wall, for example! One of the most interesting features announced, the “Martha Cooper Library”, is perpetually closed, without any information, let alone a catalog, being available. This section was imagined as a research institution, but it turned to be nothing more than a pile of books under a lock.

A curatorial approach is non-existent and it focuses on highlighting the genres of Street Art only, providing a rather superficial overview. It has no regard relating to the artists themselves and their individual or collective impact on either local or global communities. This is a particularly weak point in the collection, because it shows disrespect to some of the greatest urban art creators of our time, reducing their message to pure, entertaining visuals. Still, these visuals are also difficult to enjoy since they are hung too close together, without any space to breathe and communicate properly with the viewer. It’s hard to grasp why the museum would treat this undoubtedly valuable collection (with works by famous figures such as Futura, Blek le Rat and Banksy, but OX as well) in such a bad manner, treating it as a random accumulation of badly presented artworks. Without any contextualization at all, the exhibition offered by the museum reminds of a big booth at an Affordable Art Fair rather than of a representative collection of contemporary urban art.

And while people report an over-protective security at the opening, I have seen none of it myself. There is no mediation between the visitors and the display is further enhanced by a group of neighborhood-based (perhaps the only good thing in the project), but completely clueless staff. Seasoned with a thick layer of dust falling on the works, a lack of a lounge or cafe, and a shop offering one (Urban Nation) book only, the visit to this so-called museum leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and does not inspire a second return. To us, professionals, this blatant misrepresentation of the art we believe in also feels insulting and disrespectful. And while we can only speculate what the real reason for this failure is, it’s important to know that the Urban Nation organization is not what it says it is.

With a motto “Connect. Create. Care,” “URBAN NATION connects.” It connects its financiers with an innovative marketing channel, helping them to make more money by using street art.

“URBAN NATION creates.” It creates large, attractive, pre-designed pictures on facades that have little to do with the locale they are placed in.

“URBAN NATION approaches people, embraces neighbors, activates communities and brings together cultures in urban districts”, and it does so exclusively online, distributing misleading images and artificially hyped information. In the process, it often uses the names of respected artists who take part without knowing the whole background story.

Finally, the question of the Urban Nation Museum cannot be addressed without referring to the matter of funding once again. Gewobag and Berliner Leben Foundation are financed by state-owned funds. Consequently, this makes the state responsible for distributing money to the Urban Nation Museum project. Since the state represents all of the citizens of Berlin, we ask ourselves why did it allow such disregard for the city’s street art history and the local scene? The chain of responsible ones starts with the museum’s curator, but we don’t know where it ends (yet). What is certain, is that Berlin’s public money should be directed to better promote and represent Berlin’s public art and its history.

Finally, if we ask the question whether Berlin, in fact, needs an urban art museum today, even though the city is a vast open museum itself, many in the circle of experts might agree that it does. However, all of the urban art museums in the world are lacking in structure here and there. Even though their efforts may be honest, they don’t seem to follow a sustainable plan nor do they have consistently curated collections. The only really relevant museum presentation was Jeffrey Deitch’s “Art in the Streets”, which he presented at MOCA in 2011. Everything since does not serve this global movement justice, either in the technical or the conceptual sense.

Still, everyone will agree that if an urban art museum should exist, then its collection should be contextualized, cataloged and explained properly, that certain museum standards must be followed and that all of the announced aspects of the museum should be operational and open to the public. We must not forgo the educational aspect of such an organization, just as we must not cling to the concept of an obsolete picture gallery. What Berlin deserves is a well-planned institution, a democratic research center that includes both local and nonresident visitors, brimming with life, interaction and ideas, hopefully inspiring new generations to engage and act within their own Kiez.

What Berlin has now, thanks to the Urban Nation, is nothing other than a cheap tourist magnet and an utter disgrace.

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/poster-art-history-and-influence/ https://openwallsgallery.com/poster-art-history-and-influence/#respond Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:56:26 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=7089

Jacques Villegle – Boulevard Haussmann, 1988.

Over the course of history, art has always been closely linked to social context. From the ancient elitism to contemporary democratization, it appeared in many different forms, complementing, commenting, protesting and commemorating social and political circumstances. In this continuing evolution, there are some art forms that stood out more than others from the perspective of social engagement, availability, and impact. One of the most prominent and influential art creations in this group is definitely a poster.

The history of poster art is closely linked to histories of advertising and graphic design, although this mode of expression has always been susceptive to particular art styles of the era. Looking back across the 20th century and delving into the 19th, we can uncover the origins of the contemporary poster, learning that behind its influences, ideas, creators, and styles, there was always a certain social scene.

To completely understand the importance of poster art, let’s return to its beginnings, to the Belle Epoque.

  • Jules Chéret – Casino de Paris, Camille Stéfani, 1891. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • jules cheret folies bergere 1893

    Jules Cheret – Folies Bergere, La Loïe Fuller, 1893. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • henri de toulouse lautrec moulin rouge 1891

    Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec – Moulin Rouge, La Goulue, 1891. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • Alphonse Mucha – Gismonda, 1894. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • The Great Coney Island Water Carnival, poster created for Barnum Bailey, 1898. Source Wikimedia Commons.

History of Poster Art in a Nutshell

The Belle Epoque Posters

Birth and development of poster art are closely connected to the evolution of advertising and graphic design, but also to the industrial revolution.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the mankind transitioned into the era of the machine and the life of the urban population in the West changed. One of the artistic branches profoundly affected by the industrial evolution is printmaking, an art always dependent on a machine. When Alois Senefelder the technique of lithography in the late 18th century, mass production in printing was already foreseeable. The appearance of lithography in color – chromolithography – was crucial for the appearance of the first poster.

At the time of Impressionism, the first modern art movement, the new printmaking technique has spread across Europe, finding an especially fruitful ground in France. A number of Impressionists dabbled with poster design and printing, but a common consensus sees Jules Cheret as the father of the modern poster. What Cheret did, was develop a new technique that suited the mass producers better, adding more saturated colors and elements to the picture. He introduced modern visuals into an advertising spread, combined with stylized typography and always featuring beautiful women. Some claim that he was the first one who figured that sex sells! Cheret was also the creator of Maîtres de l’Affiche (Masters of the Poster) five-volume collection of 256 chromolithographs, an affordable art publication issued annually. His new style and technique became so popular, that a large number of his contemporaries adopted poster making as their own. This group includes Art Nouveau artists Alphonse Mucha and Eugene Grasset, whose visuals we can often find reproduced in different variants today.

Although not primarily a poster artist, one of the most interesting figures of the era was definitely Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His tragic life story is well known, as is his debauchery-filled lifestyle, but there is a greater historical significance in his work than painting alone. Although poster was not considered noble enough for other painters, Toulouse-Lautrec accepted a commissioned from Moulin Rouge theatre, finding financial freedom as well as a new form of expression. In his short career, this prolific painter created 363 posters and prints. Today, his posters are considered masterpieces of early design and unprecedented historical source.

The Belle Epoque was generally considered the Golden Age of poster art and it brought much more than new ideas in aesthetics. It gave the young modern society a new visual aspect and prompted a rapid, unstoppable development of advertising.

  • Charles Demuth – Dove poster – portrait, 1924

  • breakfast at tiffany's movie poster with audrey hepburn

    An iconic film poster for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, featuring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, 1961. Source Pinterest.

  • Jean Cocteau – Ballet Russe featuring Nijinsky, 1911

Art Deco: Avant-Garde VS Hollywood

Turmoils of the early 20th century announced a new time for poster art. New forms of advertising such as billboards, magazine ads, radio and later TV, have already denounced poster as the leading type of advertising. There were even social groups that claimed posters made the public spaces ugly and propagated banning of their utilization. However, the poster proved to be irreplaceable in virtually every social revolution of the modern age.

In between the two wars, the Art Deco period flourished. In Hollywood, cinema was reaching its first peak. New techniques in cinematography enabled production, and the need for advertisement always leaned on the art of poster first. Vintage movie posters, as we call them today, are treasures of that time, transferring us to the time of silent film and the first sound productions, the first horrors and sci-fi, and the first stars of the big screen. An interesting fact is that the second-most expensive poster of all time is the ad for Boris Karloff’s “The Mummy” from 1932, while the first place belongs to the visual made for the international version for Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”.

In Russia, a different new era was emerging. Constructivism appeared as the most forward artistic style of the time, supported by Kazimir Malevich and Alexander Rodchenko. The key artwork of Constructivism was Vladimir Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International, which had a vast, immeasurable influence on modern art. Bauhaus and DeStijl were deeply affected by the Russian avant-garde, and so was every other modern style – either supporting the puritanism of geometry and form or rejecting it. All of these styles had an important role in poster art history, from cinema to propaganda, often in service of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Although Constructivism borrowed its basic formal elements from other contemporary avantgarde movements such as Cubism, Suprematism or Futurism, its core idea remained different and entirely original. Instead of focusing on composition, this movement was guided by ‘construction’, exhibiting its utilitarian and inherently communist side. It aimed to design objects that were modern and suitable for mass production, dramatically changing the foundations of aesthetics through the heavy usage of abstract forms and analytical approach. Filled with bold angular forms, graphic design was a particularly prolific field of Constructivism in Russia, since a lot of the artists representing the movement struggled to make their objects produced. However, artists such as Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova were fruitful poster designers and their works count as some of the most innovative pieces of the 20th-century design today.

Constructivism was in decline by the second half of the 1920s, but it did not leave quietly. We still witness its influence in everyday life, but at that time there was a movement in Germany that embraced the new design philosophy – Bauhaus. Founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Staatliches Bauhaus was an art school that operated from 1919 to 1933. During its relatively short period of live activity, it brought heaps of innovations into the world of design, changing the modern living forever. Students at the Bauhaus were searching for the “total work of art” – Gesamtkunstwerk – aiming to design and adjust every aspect of modern life. Bauhaus’ impact on modern and contemporary architecture, art, product and graphic design is immense, with some of the cities (such as Tel Aviv) having about 4,000 buildings erected in this particular style. In the world of posters, Bauhaus is best known for its exhibition announcements, since not a lot of the original posters remain. However, the choice of color, geometrical treatment of the surface and most of all – the typography – are used by a mass of artists even today, both as an inspiration or as a direct reference.

  • alexander rodchenko poster books please features lilya brik in a masterpiece of abstrace design

    Alexander Rodchenko. Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge, 1924. Source Wikimedia Commons

  • Postkart for the Bauhaus exhibition, 1923

  • bauhaus ausstellung poster weimar 1923

    Joost Schmidt – Iconic poster for the 1923 Bauhaus Exhibition in Weimar – lithograph, 1923. Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2016.

  • Johannes Itten – Analyses of Old Masters, 1921 – Bauhaus Archiv

  • Oskar Schlemmer – Great Bridge Revue, 1926

  • Theo van Doesburg poster de stijl design

    Theo van Doesburg – Section d’Or exhibition poster design, 1920. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • el lissitzky poster 1920 klinom krasnim

    El Lissitzky – Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (Klinom krasnym bey belykh!), 1920. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • Alexander Rodchenko – Poster urging Soviet citizens to become Dobrolet stockholders, 1923

  • El Lissitzky – Preliminary sketch for a poster, 1920.

The Wars and Poster Propaganda

The First and later the Second World War introduced the war propaganda and the main role in communicating the political wishes was given to the poster. Every side in the war had its own policy, from mobilization to influence, the majority of which was disseminated through posters. Historians revel in reading the visual histories of the American, Soviet or Nazi war propaganda, reading the entire brutality and seriousness of war in what were often caricatures or inspirational messages. Some of the most interesting posters of the era come from Germany, featuring the “enemies” of the Aryan race, designed to push people into banishing Jews and other minorities the Nazis deemed hostile. Albeit repulsive and insulting, these posters are perhaps the best reminder of what a war can bring, that inspire us to steer clear of hate and racism.

Another type of poster, unexpectedly prompted by wars, is a pin-up. Since only men served in the army at the time and a lot of them were shipped off to the war-zone, they were supplied a number of “inspirational” posters featuring semi-nude women in order to keep themselves calm. These posters were greatly popular and there were artists exclusively dedicated to the creation of pin-ups. We can see Gil Elvgren’s designs in advertising and merchandise even today, while a 1976 poster of Farrah Fawcett in a swimsuit is today considered legendary.

  • j howard miller we can do it poster 1943

    J. Howard Miller – We Can Do It!, 1943. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • Jim FitzPatrick viva che

    Jim FitzPatrick – Viva Che!, 1968. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • i want you uncle sam poster

    James Montgomery Flagg – I want you for U.S. Army : nearest recruiting station, 1917. Source Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/

  • The original stoic poster Keep Calm and Carry On, 1939. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • John Heartfield The Hand Has Five Fingers antifascist propaganda

    John Heartfield – The Hand Has Five Fingers, 1928. Source www.johnheartfield.com

  • nazi propaganda poster

    An example of Nazi propaganda, ‘Marxism is the guardian angel of capitalism. Vote National Socialist’, 1932. Source reddit.

  • gil elvgren pin up the verdict was wow

    Gil Elvgren – The Verdict was Wow, 1947. Source Wikimedia Commons.

  • Gil Elvgren – The Right Touch, 1958. Source www.gilelvgren.com

Postermania and the Surge of Graphic Design

After the war, the entire world was recovering and consolidating into what we (mostly) know today. It wasn’t before the 1960s that the poster gained new life, as the top canvas for graphic designers and proclamation of modern values. This time is sometimes called the “postermania”, birthing a number of legendary graphic designers, such as Milton Glaser and Paul Rand. The time of great music and cultural expansion was naturally adorned with heaps of visuals, and the poster adopted many traits of contemporary art styles – Abstraction, Op Art, and Surrealism. A merger of styles and freedom in design announced the time of postmodernism in poster design influenced by rapid cultural changes, computer graphics and new styles of art.

  • Milton Glaser Dylan poster

    Milton Glaser – Dylan, 1966. Source www.miltonglaser.com

  • Gene Davis – The Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program, 1975

  • paul rand dada poster 1951

    Paul Rand – DADA, 1951.Source www.paul-rand.com

The Poster Today

With the increase of advertising channels, one might think that poster would be left on the margin. However, ever since the 1980s, this old way of marketing has become increasingly present in our everyday. It has never lost any of its functions, still serving propaganda, movie, fashion, music and other industries. We are bound to see at least one public poster when we step out of our private space, but this number is usually a lot higher. The only difference is that in our time, the poster has become a collectible and we do make difference between valuable, vintage prints and contemporary ads.

Persistence of posters has had an impact on different art forms, but due to its inherently public nature, it influenced Street Art the most.

  • Jacques Villegle – 122 rue du Temple, 1968. Source The Met Artist Project.

  • Jacques Villegle – Rue Villared de Joyeuse, 7 july 1961

  • Jacques Villegle – Pont de l’Academia Venise, 22 June 1970

  • Jacques Villegle – Rue du Temple la Main, 1970

  • Jacques Villegle – 26 Rue du Pont Neuf, 1973

  • Jacques Villegle – Rue Desprez et
    Vercing Torix, 1966. Source Wikiart.

Poster in Street Art History

Viewing Street Art as the most daring art movement today, it’s impossible not to notice the role of posters within it. The poster has influenced a number of sub-movements, but also techniques, inspiring quick and easy installation and social protest. With paste-ups being one of the most popular techniques and with adbusting being one of the most immersive global action involving posters, the importance of this humble paper-based print is actually on the rise. But to understand the depth of its presence in Street Art, we must again return to one of the forefathers of public art.

A whole decade before graffiti began taking the streets of New York, there was a man in France, who will prove himself just as rebellious. His name was Jacques Villegle, “affichiste”, the master of decollage and Situationist. His innovative technique was based on tearing layers of paper and destroying images from thick poster coats of public advertising poles, thus creating a new, abstract image, often embellished by emphasized typographic additions. From the beginning, he tried to tear and change the poster as little as possible, preferring to leave it as it was found on the street. He was preserving history in a completely new, subversive manner, influencing an army of adbusters today.

As a pioneering street artist, Villeglé believed that art finds its power in pointing out different uncomfortable realities to the viewer. His heavily layered images are a metaphor for dense social critique, directing the attention towards a great number of hidden social, economic and political problems. He once said that “in the 1930s, the poster was called the newspaper of the street,” revealing that it was early when he realized the complex, diverse and ever changing nature of the poster as an art form. It was always fresh, offering excellent possibilities for artistic research. Villeglé’s body of work is rich and consistent, showing a clear artistic progression from the early works cleaked in dark colors and solemn text, towards the brighter palette and more provocative imagery of his mature style in the 1960s.

His fellow Situationist, Daniel Buren was one of the first real adbusters, pasting paper stripes on public billboards and in metro stations. Although he did not exactly design posters, he defaced them, which places poster art at the foundation of his practice.

Conceptual grounds for Buren’s work are found in careful consideration of the environment. With the usage of basic geometric visuals – the colored, alternating stripes – her attempted to integrate a painted surface into an architectural setting, often choosing landmark buildings. One of the most famous Buren’s rebellious takes on the contemporary art scene of 1969 happened in Switzerland when he wished to take part in an exhibition curated by the renowned Harald Szeemann. He was not invited, through which prompted him to take his act to the street. Buren covered Billboards of Bern with his recognizable stripes, but as a true adbuster – he got arrested and banned from the country. Despite his audacity to deface public areas, Daniel Buren is considered one of the most influential French conceptualists to date.

Although Villegle and Buren did influence the French art scene significantly, the poster did not come into focus as an art form until Shepard Fairey decided to rebel against the regime.

  • Daniel Buren – Peinture Suspendue Acte II, 1972. Source Wikiart.

  • Daniel Buren – Peinture Acrylique Blanche, 1972. Source Wikiart.

  • Daniel Buren – Sur les Murs, 1971. Source Wikiart.

Printmaking VS Adbusting in Street Art

In 1989, the young Fairey started his sticker campaign, which would later evolve into the Obey Giant frenzy. He constructed his brand on his first steps as a street artist and never abandoned the practice. Furthermore, he remained true to poster design, producing activist visuals often. He is the creator of the legendary political print “Hope” featuring Barack Obama, but he is also the man behind numerous environmental and socially oriented proclamations. As Shepard Fairey introduced new generations of street artists to printmaking, the Adbusters did something else.

Although the practice of hacking public advertising space is hardly new, Adbusting has gained a new significance in recent years. Originating from the practice of Culture Jamming, this contemporary practice has introduced one of the most widespread art movements today, uniting all the artists with social consciousness and street-bound past. Subvertisers International propagate an advertising-free world through an anti-consumerist philosophy, prompted by the increasing popular obsession with the material. They stand against false promises, false hopes, and false standards, showing how vast their field of action is.

A member of the Subvertisers group, Vermibus, has dedicated his art to raising awareness about the harmful effect of fashion advertising. His works are powerful, poignant, both personal and universal, while his unique solvent-based technique emulates the conceptual layers found behind his art.

Jordan Seiler is an adbuster who ignited his own movement by producing keys to open public light boxes and change the poster ads. He himself is known for installing abstract images into the place of advertisements, aiming to create a calm, meditative environment, an opposite to the consumerist jungle.

A different take on a poster comes from OX, a French artist who believes that he can influence the public through aesthetics. His works are based on altering public billboards and changing them completely into works of art, thus embellishing the space without attacking the consumer. He is an optimist, fighting for a better urban environment, only through his art. Another Berlin-based French, SP38 became known for his fine, art-deco-ish typography and either personal or political messages related to the surroundings. His works are basically poster-like paste-ups, while he is considered an avid printmaker.

When we compare printmaking to adbusting, we do find a common thread – social activism. Although technically one might negate the other, coming out of the Street Art realm, these two mediums are in fact complementary, marking an important part of one of the most interesting art movements today. Both firmly rooted in poster art, these contemporary practices once again confirm the enormous importance and power of a simple paper print.

  • Vermibus – Port dentro cien cicatrices

  • OX – Intervention in Cologne, 2017

  • Shepard Fairey – Liberte Egalite Fraternite, 2015.

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/activist-art-in-public-places/ https://openwallsgallery.com/activist-art-in-public-places/#respond Wed, 26 Jul 2017 10:23:12 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=6777 Moment of hesitation - berlin kidz

Thomas von Wittich – Moment of Hesitation, Berlin Kidz, 2016

Looking back across a decade, it’s safe to say that Street Art has come into its own. It’s increasingly recognized as a movement and a way of expression throughout the world, even by some of the prestigious museum institution, which was unimaginable not so long ago. As an inclusive medium, it’s good to see Street Art become more recognized in the official Public Art circles, but over-inclusivity might prove to be a dangerous game. Overflowing with styles, techniques and expressions, the art of the outdoors is perhaps the most diverse of the contemporary art movements. It’s somehow coherent, although without a unifying manifesto. This very fact makes it rather difficult to define, but also tricky to criticize. Who is to say what is good and what is bad in an environment where the intention and idea count more than the physical outcome? Still, it’s hard not to differentiate between the art with commercial undertones and the one of a socially conscious nature. Sometimes, the difference between the two is obvious, but more often than not, it’s cleverly hidden between the lines (and colors).

So, if we are looking for real activist art in public places, how can we recognize the pieces that possess the true grit?

david crowley

Jordan Seiler – New York Street Advertising Takeover

What Real Activist Art in Public Places Looks Like?

The atmosphere of pluralism in Street Art is not making it easy for an honest enthusiast looking for public action. The popularity of pretty images, cheap muralism, and cool public visual solutions has been greatly boosted by the social media. While this may help the overall acceptance of the movement, it is actually making it more difficult for us to know the backstories. In essence, Street Art is defended by its conceptual base, just like any other mode of expression. Therefore, the observer must think about a piece and not only engage indulge in it visually. How was it made? Why there? By whom? And only then – what does it say? Only then can an onlooker completely understand what the artist is trying to convey and decide whether the piece is indeed daring and rebellious, or just visually appealing.

For example, great murals can make a neighborhood or a building look better, they can brighten the atmosphere and make the people living in a community feel good. Still, gentrification is an ongoing problem related to contemporary muralism, something that may drive out those very same people out of their environment. Requiring a lot of approvals beforehand, muralism does not follow one of the basic postulates of Street Art, which is defiance. It’s likely that a favorite mural might actually be involved in a larger gentrifying scheme. The defiance we are speaking of requires a more direct and braver public action. Such public action can be found in art conducted in the public, for the people, illegally, and daringly. It is art that negates the unconsciously adopted values of consumerism, aesthetics or conduct. It’s made to inspire and awaken and to call the people to another type of social action. Recognizing such pieces needs time and attention in which the eye and mind become sensitive to messages disseminated by true public artists.

Vermibus in Subvert the City Action in Berlin - March 2017

Vermibus in Subvert the City Action in Berlin – March 2017

Know the Public Artists

Knowing the art is not a visceral effort, but a long-term educative endeavor filled with reading, learning, and viewing. Following the most relevant magazines, galleries and artists, it’s possible to get a good insight into the scene, but the differentiation is still left to the individual. What is crucial is to know the artists who conduct the real type of public action, rebelling against the constraints of society in a broader sense. These people of action come from different backgrounds and each of them has their own cause and story to tell, but the core idea is easily identified in their discourse. Jordan Seiler and Vermibus both collaborate with a larger movement, Subvertisers International, that actively campaigns against aggressive advertising in public. Art in public spaces these two artists execute is done through action, followed by documentation of these actions. Jordan Seiler photographs and films his installations in public and distributes different types of keys for ad-boxes, inviting people all over the world to join his cause. Vermibus approaches his work in a more painterly manner, dissolving the posters proclaiming artificial beauty and reinstalling them in public. Or take the Berlin Kidz, for example, a daredevil group of graffiti artists who challenge all the regulations installed into the society today, often putting their very lives in danger. All of these artists risk their freedom every time they conduct an action, and they are both relentless in transmitting their messages over to the people. Their work is profound and conceptual, based on elaborate research and social engagement. Learning the backstory of a piece, it’s hard not to make a difference between an art activist such as Vermibus or Jordan Seiler, and a random embellisher of a publicly placed wall.

Finished SP38 Mural in Paris

Finished SP38 Mural in Paris. Photo by Thierry Débonnaire

Street Art Activism and the Public

Often, the authorities will object to actions the artists perform. They will arrest them, make them pay fines, place bans and use other means of repression. The success of the artist’s actions largely depends on the public and their engagement, whether it is physical participation or another way of support. The movement is still young, although built on decades of history, but its potential is immense. Present in virtually every country around the globe, art in public places needs to nurture and emphasize its visionary character and to invite the broader public to join in any and every possible way. In the end, wouldn’t it be just terrific to see art make an actual and big change in society?

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OPEN WALLS Gallery | Contemporary Urban Art https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-billboards-project-cologne/ https://openwallsgallery.com/ox-billboards-project-cologne/#respond Tue, 18 Apr 2017 11:40:55 +0000 https://openwallsgallery.com/?p=6584

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

Advertising billboards are like huge windows, oversized paintings, hanging in the city,” OX once said about his billboard takeover practice. This April, Cologne has become richer for a set of street interventions executed by this renowned French artist and one of the most influential culture jammers today. We endeavored to this West German city and observed OX during his appropriation of ten billboards. This ephemeral project is meant to enliven the cityscape for however long it may survive, while it was created on the foundations both Street Art in general and OX’s unique expression.

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

Creating a Series of Cologne Billboards

As announced by the artist himself, the series of ten Cologne billboards is stylistically akin to his previous work. Some of the paste-ups are treated in a sculptural way, interacting with the environment both visually and physically, while some are “disturbed” even further by another layer – another image placed over the initial visual solution. The recognizable geometry and graphism of these works correspond with the city’s landscape, which served as an immediate inspiration to the artist. Bold colors and clear-cut geometric shapes form striking messages, at times supported with written words. These purified objects of visual communication emerge from OX’s creative process based on elimination and subtraction, conducted until the final result is cleared of excess pictorial weight. Although the visual impact of OX’s takeovers is their strongest aspect, works from series such as this are largely conceptual.

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

To Claim Locations in the New Cityscape

OX is known as a billboard hijacker, an artist who endeavors in illicit interventions in the public space. The creation of ten Cologne billboards, therefore, puts the artist in a new role, challenging him to think through the restrictions of a new cityscape and stay true to his practice. Working at a faster pace to devise ten artistic solutions, OX has considered every aspect of the given billboard locations. In this tense, energetic creative process, the artist successfully produced a legal series of works, but managed to keep the same conceptual approach he has while working elsewhere in Europe.

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

A Visual Shock to Provoke Thinking

Imposing graphic elements used by OX serve his goal to cause “a moment of discontinuity with the common surroundings.” Billboard has proven to be the perfect carrier of his interventions as a space normally used to deliver messages. However, OX does not use this advertising surface in the same way, but rather breaks it into absurd decorative parts and ironic imagery, provoking emotions and thought. Fleeting as an insightful spark, his works in the public space are always destined to be ephemeral, while their impact on the viewer is designed to linger for long after their removal. Emotions this French artist’s work usually awaken often start with humorous relief and appreciation for his wit, but after a very brief consideration, a viewer is confronted with more sophisticated and serious meanings. By juxtaposing the innocent and the bleak, OX diverts from the original content of the billboard “in order to integrate them even more in the moment“. Even though his work is not devised “to cause the fall of advertising“, OX does draw the attention to the disturbing effects of the advertising process, pointing out the contradictions and the lack of real substance. “I like the aesthetic of shock,” he says and indeed, his works are essentially designed to jump-start the thinking process in the most surprising fashion.

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

OX’s Billboards Against the Visual Pollution

On a wider scale, OX is definitely one of the artist-warriors coming to the public aid with a refined, yet powerful visual language. His billboard takeovers are meant to serve as artistic breaks, glimpses of the absurd or sublime, and triggers to altering the perception of the viewers about the deteriorating effect of visual pollution. Reaction to OX’s work is imminent, unavoidable, as they appeal to the human emotions on a universal levels. Clever superpositions of pictorial matter and witty graphic-verbal solutions are there to briefly entertain, yes, but also to start the meditative process on the broader importance of art, in the public space and outside of it.

Scroll down for images of OX in action and his final interventions.

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

OX Billboard Project in Cologne – Artist in action

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

OX Billboard Project in Cologne

All images courtesy of Thomas von Wittich
The 10 Cologne Billboards project is realized in collaboration with the Kölner Liste and Ströer.
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