Late Review: Manifest Justice

From May 1 to May 10 of this year, an old, abandoned theater in Baldwin Hills was turned into a giant gallery with over 200 works of art by over 150 artists for a pop-up art exhibit called Manifest Justice.

The large-scale exhibit featured art that spoke to social justice issues; everything from gender wage inequality to mass incarceration, but—with the people of Baltimore still out in the streets protesting the death of Freddie Gray—works of art that dealt with police brutality and police murder seemed to speak to people the most.

There was an installation piece by Artist Ti-Rock Moore called, “Protect and Serve,” that consisted of a neon sign of the words, Choke Hold, but with the letter O being substituted by a noose; there is no mistaking the connection the artist was making to how Black people were treated by the KKK, in the days after the end of the Civil War, and the way they are treated by the police today.

“Dis Arm,” an image of a police baton on fire, by well-known Street Artist Robbie Conal, seemed to be there to remind us that the anniversary of the 1992 L.A. Rebellion had just passed.

Other pieces even seemed to speak about the future.  For instance, a painting by Graffiti Artist Mear One, of a youth wearing a gas mask and kaffeiyah, holding a large shield with the words, “Fight For Humanity,” spray-painted on it.

Another piece, “American Dreamers (Phase 2),” a large installation of a gutted police car in the middle of the floor, couldn’t help but stand out to most people.

Looking at this piece, (which was made to look like an NYPD car on one side, and a Ferguson police car on the other side), one could imagine a future society where this art piece was actually a relic of a horrible, long-forgotten past.

The car had many plants, a sort of garden, growing from inside it.  And, in an interview with a local TV station, the creator of the piece, Jordan Weber said, “It’s a symbol of young black Americans who have not come to fruition before being taken.”

It is very significant that many artists are being brought together to display these kinds of art pieces to large crowds; art that makes people confront the reality, injustice and horror going on right now.

At this time, there are no plans to take the Manifest Justice exhibit to other cities, but you can see photos of most of the pieces mentioned here, (and many more), at www.manifestjustice.org/artists

My new favorite street artist: Starchild Stela

A few months back, I was introduced to the art of Starchild Stela when someone posted a photo of one of her pieces on Twitter.  It was so different, so colorful, so political, and cute! She instantly became my new favorite street artist.  (She considers herself more of a feminist graffiti artist and not a street artist per se).

Dr. Jessica N. Pabon, who interviewed Stela for her blog, described her style like this, “Stela’s work caught my eye because her absolutely curvilinear handstyle, pastel color palette, and pretty soft-eyed characters are almost always adorned with explicit and aggressive language.”

Indeed, it is that juxtaposition of cute, big-eyed, (almost anime style), female characters, with strong political messages, which sets her apart from her contemporaries.

I think it works artistically because, even though her drawings seem simple, they are colorful and full of life.  And, I think, it works politically because there is an element of humor to it, (which is what I believe makes Banksy so popular among basic masses).

Take for example, a cute little girl with the words, “Fuck your macho bullshit” spray-painted under her; or her clever drawing of a woman with some kitties and the words, “Cats against cat-calls.”

In the same interview referenced above, Stela says about her work:

"I love adding a little feminist twist to my pieces. I don’t really intend to add a social message to my pieces, the words I add often reflects the discussion I’m having with friends. But indeed we are talking about what matter to us, and what makes us pissed off."

Check out more of her work—and support her—by buying some of her stickers, prints, and original art from her online store.

Recommended: May '12 Issue of Juxtapoz

I haven't been excited to look at--much less read--an entire issue of Juxtapoz magazine since March of 2011 when they had a cover story of Emory Douglas, (the Black Panther Party's Minister of Culture). But the current issue on the stands is the "Public Art Issue" which features, (besides four different covers), great photos and interviews of some of the biggest street artists working today.

There's also articles written by the artists themselves. For instance, El Mac, who starts off an essay about murals with a quote from one of the great Mexican muralists, Jose Clemente Orozco: "The highest, most logical, purest and most powerful type of painting is mural painting. It is also the most disinterested, as it cannot be converted into an object of personal gain nor can it be concealed for the benefit of a few privileged people. It is for the people. It is for everybody." And then there's this quote from the introduction of Ron English's article where he talks about his long-time involvement with public art:

"Most of the public art that I've done in my career was unsanctioned. So for me, public art means street art, which is DIY, immediate, unfiltered, non-paying, physically and legally risky, and sometimes resulting in situations unplanned for and out of control. I seem to have an innate ability to generate imagery that pisses people off. Combine that with a penchant for putting it on the street and what you have is a life of constant trouble with periods of great delight."

Other great pieces in this issue include the profile piece on Swoon, an artist known for taking her beautiful wheat pastes and highly creative "out-stallations" all over the world: from Brooklyn to Sao Paulo, Brazil; from New Orleans to Haiti; from San Francisco's Mission District and back again. You can tell she has a lot of love for the planet and loves to engage with all kinds of people. The interview with L.A. graffiti artists Saber and Revok is also good, as it spends much time speaking on the criminalization of graffiti artists (mostly youth), and the constant harassment from police and city government.

But, my favorite article is the profile on JR, a french artist who also travels the world trying to utilize art for social change an has gone to many different places like Brazil, Palestine, South Africa to wheat paste giant sized portraits of regular people that seem to bring out their humanity. "When I'm in the streets and I paste, I have to talk to people, so that's why it's easy for me to talk and paste because that's what I do, working in the streets everyday. I have to explain it to folks. I love people, and I love exchanging, and those projects are a great way to learn about people and ask them questions about their story and really learn about their conflicts," he said in the interview.

If you only buy one issue of Juxtapoz a year, make sure this is the one!

[UPDATE: Some stores have already removed this issue from the stands and have replaced it with the new June issue. However, you can still order this issue online].

A Quick Guide to Banksy Books

While flipping through a book catalog yesterday I noticed some new books on infamous street artist, Banksy. I thought I would list them here, along with the other titles that I’m familiar with:

Wall and Piece by BANKSY
This is the one book that should definitely be on your bookshelf. And as far as I know, the only official Banksy collection out there put together by the artist himself. It is very popular and I have seen it “out of stock” on Amazon quite a few times, especially since the time that Exit Through The Gift Shop came out in theaters. (I know for sure it is one of the best-selling items at Revolution Books L.A.)

Banksy’s Bristol: Home Sweet Home by Steve Wright
A nice hardcover collection that focuses on Banksy’s hometown of Bristol and stands out because it has many images of the artist’s early work. (Also, some interviews with people who worked with him early in his career).

Banksy Locations and Tours Vol. 1 & Vol.2 by Martin Bull
These first came out in the U.K., but then PM Press put out their versions. The collections were put together by photographer Martin Bull, and can be very useful if you ever decide to go on vacation to areas where Banksy has left artwork behind. (Both books also have images of great art from other infamous street artists). But, the drawback to these editions is that they are small (for art books), so even though they have many great photographs, the images are rather small.

Banksy: Myths and Legends by Marc Leverton
This book just came out at the end of last year, from Ginko Press. It’s a smaller book with about 80 color illustrations; however it seems to focus more on “stories” and “facts” about the artist. It seems to feature some of his most recent work and looks like it’s priced very affordably.

Banksy: You Are An Acceptable Level of Threat compiled by Gary Shove & Patrick Potter
A new collection, set to be released this summer, and the preview makes it look very promising—especially because it’s supposed to include photos of the work Banksy did in New Orleans, and the stencils he did out in Los Angeles when he was in town for the Oscars. If you see this at a bookstore, grab it because it definitely looks like it would be worth to add to your home library.

Quick Thought on Street Art & the New Society

I've been wanting to blog about some thoughts I've about this article from KCET SoCal Departures since I first read it a few weeks back. First, a quick summary of this article, "Mural Conflict Has Artists Calling for 'Respect," in which the unwritten rules of street art are discussed. Apparently, a non-profit organization made some street artists (and street art fans) angry when they covered up a wall, (with a well-intentioned wheat paste installation), that had been completed by local street artist, Revok, and a few others in December 2010.

Well, people familiar with the underground culture, know that the only proper thing that should go over a "piece" should be a "better piece." (The rules kinda go like this: 'tag' > 'throw-up' > 'piece' > 'better piece'). But, what happens, when things like poster art, and wheat pastes in general, are not covered under these unwritten rules?

And what made the situation even more particular is that the wall was a private-owned wall where the owner of the wall gave the non-profit and artist permission to put up their installation, called, "I Want Peace in Congo." It was some street artists and their fans who had a problem with it. Luckily, in the story mentioned above, public apologies were offered and nothing too dramatic resulted. (Although, the manager of the building did say, "I there is anymore drama, I will sand blast the whole thing").

So, this makes me wonder about what the laws or rules will be for street art under a different future socialist society? I do think that in this type of new society street art will, not only be allowed, but be would be much more highly visible and play a larger role in society. (I think about the large public murals of Diego Rivera and the big Chinese character posters, and poster art, of the Cultural Revolution as evidence). Of course, a lot of organization would need to go into it. Input from the community, a public art commission/board, and designated spaces will definitely be needed. What do you think?

Saber speaks

(Just a quick update to a previous blog I posted last week). In the 7th Letter blog, Saber talked about why he hired jets to sky-write over City Hall. He said:

"The reason I hired five jet planes to sky write over City Hall and downtown Los Angeles is to bring awareness to how ridiculous a moratorium on public art is.

The city states that all public murals are signage, effectively banning art from the walls of Los Angeles. And it is removed at the taxpayers’ expense. Money is given to private graffiti removal companies, who have broken onto private property to paint murals beige. The owners of small businesses where murals have been painted have been harassed and threatened with fines if they do not remove the artwork. Police officers raid homes and places of work, intimidating artists and building owners. During this time of economic crisis, “mural signs” are an easy target for the city to extract money. This moratorium is a clear violation of the first amendment right to free speech and enforcement for these unreasonable laws is a complete waste of taxpayer funds.

To put things in perspective I recently visited the beautiful set of murals inside the Terminal Annex Building on Alameda. This mural was painted in 1941-44 and was funded by the “Works Progress Administration” (WPA). Murals are just a part of the legacy of a national program that put the country to work during the Great Depression.

Fast-forward to the Great Recession, taxpayer money is now used to obliterate all traces of the artwork my generation have created. I believe this is city-funded censorship pushed by lawmakers with personal vendettas. Potential jail time is more probable for us than the opportunity of creating an artistic legacy for the next generation. In a city that used to proudly call itself the “Mural Capitol Of The World,” the officials who enforce this ban should be ashamed to call themselves “Angelinos.”

Art Is Not A Crime… End Mural Moratorium."

Saber also provided an online petition for people to sign and you can donate money to the cause by buying an #ArtIsNotACrime t-shirt. (Also, check out the 7th Letter blog for more info and cool videos of the "sky-bombing action").

Petitions by Change.orgStart a Petition

Saber protests with 'Skybombing'

West Coast graffiti legend, SABER, best known for creating the world's largest graffiti piece (in the L.A. River, back in the 90s), just took graffiti bombing to a whole other level today!

As his way of protesting the Los Angeles' mural moratorium he got some skywriting jets to "tag" over City Hall. The planes "threw up" Twitter hashtags like #ArtIsNotACrime and #EndMuralMoratorium. The planes also wrote monikers of some of the crews and graffiti artists that Saber associates with (and/or respects), such as: Risk, Retna, Revok, Obey, Dream and many others.

The LA Taco blog was the first to report and post photos of this unique art installation. They also had some very good commentary, saying, "The Mural Capital of the World, has been able to find massive amounts of public space for corporate advertisements, but not for works of art. The city spends more than $10,000,000+ on graffiti abatement programs, but none on mural programs that divert young artist to legal walls to display their art. Existing murals are crumbling and the city’s best artists are forced to go to Europe and other US cities to display their largest and best works."

Indeed, as the LA Weekly also pointed out, it has become OK for the city to flood skyline with billboards for advertisements, but it's not cool to have beautiful public art. Some might remember, earlier this year, a property owner had to cover up some very-well done graffiti art that had been commissioned by young artists because the city deemed it as "illegal advertising." And, just today, the beautiful work that had been done on private property in Santa Monica to raise awareness for Heal the Bay, also had to be taken down.

So, much props has to be given to Saber for calling out City Hall on this. Let's see if anything happens. Also, stay tuned to The 7th Letter site for more pics and updates...

Councilman wants your info if you buy spray paint

Here's a quick summary from an LA Weekly blog I missed last week....

* * *

And even after the rousing success of the Museum of Contemporary Art's "Art in the Streets" exhibition, [Dennis]Zine don't stop.

He's now targeting people who buy aerosol paint:

Zine has introduced a motion that would require stores to get and keep your name and address if you buy spray cans and "graffiti paraphernalia"such as "spray paint nozzles, paint pens, glass cutting, and etching tools," according to a statement from the councilman's office.

Stores would ask for your ID and copy down the info.

* * *

This Councilman has also been in the news because he was demanding that Aaron Brothers, an art supply store, stop from offering a "Graffiti Starter Kit" during its back-to-school campaign because he thought it was glorifying graffiti. (By the way, he actually got his way in this case).

Luckily for us, the LA Weekly reached the ACLU for a comment and they suggested that it might not be constitutional and that such an ordinance would have a hard time surviving court challenges.

Take that, ignorant art-hating Councilman, (who used to be a cop/pig).

Beautiful and illegal

Last week, property-owner Adam Corlin unveiled a four-story art installation filled with a lot of color and meaning, but today--unless some drastic can happen, Corlin will have to take down the installation.

The art-work was a collaboration between west-coast graffiti legends, Risk and Retna, (both recently featured at the record-breaking "Art in the Streets" exhibit), who created it to help promote a Coastal Clean-Up Day (Sept. 17) by the non-profit environmental group, Heal the Bay.

However, not long after the unveiling, Santa Monica city police and code-enforcement officers showed up at the property and have threatened him with fines. Corlin told the LA Weekly on Friday that if it is not taken down by today they will even take the case to the L.A. County District Attorney's office. He was quoted as saying, "I think they just used the build department as an excuse to get me to take this down. . .There's a double standard going on here. Somebody doesn't like the art or the message or the artists."

This is something for all art-lovers to ponder: What kind of fucked-up society are we living in, when good artists and building owners, after teaming up to bring awareness of a much-needed pro-environment message--and doing it in a beautiful and creative way--are then told by city officials that the art has to come down!?

How would you handle this if this you were running things? It's pretty obvious to me, that the only thing keeping us away from this beautiful installation, are some real wack city officials with little appreciation and understanding of art.

FYI: That Banksy is Now Hidden

Some of you might remember one of my first blog posts about a Banksy piece in South L.A., on Washington Blvd and Compton Ave, (by the Washington Blue Line station). Well, that Banksy piece is now covered up by a giant metal fence that now surrounds the empty lot next to the piece. Someone once tried to vandalize the piece, but failed because it had already been protected. But, that's not the reason why the metal fence has been erected. Not sure, but possibly because a lot of people used to tag the building where the Banksy's piece is located. (To try and get a little fame, I guess). This is bad news for anyone who wasn't able to go see the piece in person, but you can still kinda see it from a crack in the fence.

If that's not good enough for you, you still have a few days left before the Art in the Streets exhibit closes at MOCA and they have a whole room full of Banksy's work! But don't wait until the last day.

Banksy - Idol Worship

The first major exhibit of graffiti/street art, and what does Banksy do? He goes and creates a piece that looks like it criticizes the genre itself--and those who follow this art genre in particular--with this brilliant and beautiful piece. Pretty brave in, my opinion; None of the other artists represented in the exhibit did anything that came similar to this. And the real beautiful thing about it, is that the graffiti-glass stained windows that the little street artist is praying to were created with the help of high school students in Los Angeles. Bomb.com, que no?

Below are a few more pics, in detail of the other pieces he had up at the show. (Please excuse me for not writing down the names for these pieces).


[click on pics to enlarge]

OK, time for this blog to get off Banksy's nuts for a while...

Haters Gonna Hate...on Banksy

So, someone decided to vandalize that awesome piece Banksy did over on Washington (near the Blue Line). That was a true piece of public art, so I'm pretty pissed. There's some glass over it that protects it, so I'm sure it's still in perfect shape, but people can't appreciate it with all this crap covering it. Fuck'n haters:



[click on photo to enlarge]


Anyway, tune in tomorrow when I upload some Banksy pics I took at MOCA's "Art in the Streets" exhibit.