~SHEPARD FAIREY-MAYDAY !!
gonna be a big street part-tay on WOOSTER ST – today – it’s also the sunset show for DEITCH PROJECTS !!
and, is that MAYDAY as in S.O.S. in distress – – for the world – I think so, at least for the GULF Of MEXICO !!
(as opposed to May Day – a celebration of Spring ? )
p.s. it was reported in the local paper – The Villager/April 28-May 4, 2010 issue – that “assaults” were being attempted on the ‘wall’ – FAIREY and his crew just put up on the DEITCH sponsored tag wall on the corner of Houston and the Bowery. “Last week, a mad tagger (!!) managed to throw up a partial scrawl on the new artwork, only to be grabbed by a beefy, albeit slow moving, security guard. The tagger evaded the guard’s clutches by wriggling out of his T-shirt, also leaving behind his cap and spray paint can. On Monday, another vandal (!!) dispensing with paint altogether, heaved a grapefruit-sized rock through the sheetrock-like panel that the piece is on, leaving a hole. He or she was apparently aiming for a bull’s eye on the artwork, but missed.” The Villager’s ‘SCOOPY’ then goes to say: “Word on the street is that because Fairey committed the sin of actually attending Rhode Island School of Design, some graffiti artists might not respect his work as ‘authentic’.” . . . yo. might have more to do with – how does someone who made his rep and big big pile of dough as a street ‘vandal’ himself – put up a stance that does not allow other street ‘vandals’ from climbing on that big bad bandwagon to sky-high success themselves – by hopping on board. literally.
WATCH OUT SHEPARD FAIREY !! invoking the spirit of that biggest tagger-in-the sky – JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT – king of the never sold-outs – might just backfire on ya !! plus the poster image above doesn’t even really look like Jean Michel, except for maybe the hair – what’s up with that, not using other people’s (media) photos – as the basis for your iconic images – anymore ? guess, that’s what happens when ya get too big. you can can only burn so bright – before the flame turns around and bites you right back !!
no judgment here. just bringing the issues to the table as they play-out. a lot of people told me they don’t like that Bowery wall – cause its “played-out” – personally I don’t think so. I think its great.
esp the stencil work.
if you look closely at that poster above – you can detect some of that subtle stencil work – esp the triangle of concentric ‘curves’ – that’s a key ‘element’ in archival American quilting – a pattern widely used on colonial era quilt border patterns.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: throwing a rock through tag work doesn’t sound like the M.O. of any street artist I know . . . sounds more like a radical politico – to me – like, maybe even a disgruntled early OBAMA supporter ?
and, re that GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL – I don’t think – they have – a PLAN B !!!
its hard to believe – but could an off-shore oil rig – be as jerry-rigged as this little Indie art world website !!??
talk about ruining the neighborhood – (on what EARTH DAY weekend ??!!) – gives new meaning to that good ole American expression:
there goes the hood – when the black(s) move in !!!!
as for SHEPARD FAIREY himself – a big supporter of OBAMA for CHANGE = HOPE – he is down on record in that same VILLAGER article – paraphrased as such: “Fairey has been underwhelmed with Obama, so far too, feeling he hasn’t delivered on promised change enough”.
in case you are just joining us, Fairey created that iconic “HOPE” poster – based on someone’s else’s photo, bye the way. the world isn’t just going down – its going down, fast & mighty complex ironic.
SHEPARD FAIREY – ‘MAYDAY’ – OPENING TO-DAY – SAT MAY 1 / 6-9 PM
the show runs MAY 1 – 29, 2010
DEITCH PROJECTS – 18 WOOSTER ST – SOHO – NYC
SHEPARD FAIREY puts up his (legit-DEITCH SPONSORED) activist ‘street’ mural – “It’s about climate change” – Fairey. Houston and the Bowery, NYC. APRIL 22, 2010.
the stencils were cut from heavy gauge cardboard.
the mural had an ‘activist’ – calling.
can you pick up the stencil work – its coloring was very subtle – totally 100% right on.
this is an early and pivotal American quilt pattern – esp used on quilt borders – dating way back to colonial times.
stenciling itself is an early American folk art – used to decorate the walls of early colonial and pioneer homes by itinerant craftsmen. They applied the stencil designs with stubby brushes. modern times – it’s done with spray paint !! talk about the advances !! of 200 years of relentless technology, not to mention American ingenuity !!
the ‘quilt’ pattern was also painted onto the wall – in several places, as well.
using traditional American pattern elements – is one of the keys as to how Fairey was able to use re-cycled 1950 Communist era Eastern European political poster art, esp its graphic composition and color schemes – to resonate with such an American feel . . .
the mural ‘s formal title is just, a little cheezy, no ?
‘These parties disgust me’ – but hey, its hard to nail things down, esp when you wish some old school – B BOYS – as in Break Boys – were calling the shots. cut to the chase guys. let’s see what HOMELAND SECURITY & FEMA’s – made of now !!
played-out ? sold-out ? commercial ? it’s still a mural with a message – that tries to deal with what’s going down, and I mean d-o-w-n with the world, and America, in particular today. as well as what’s good about, esp America: and that’s numero one – free speech. and is a testament to the huge art/pop culture that is still alive and kicking in NYC – the cutting edge of the global art world – still. the chance that street artists, art schooled or not – who cares – can make it big, starting with Jean Michel (SAMO) – is sweet no matter how ya cut it. and the sweet revival & ever-resonating rich heritage of American ‘folk’ art, really pop !! as in popular art – going back to days one is right on the mark !! culture and controversy are actually quite a dynamic duo – that gets the art discussion back into the common lowest denominator !! no doubt. as Deitch’s final flame-out – congrats, Jeffery D. we’ll miss ya. despite what I said on my frozen home page – there ya go, karma will come back and bite ya – every time. well he is brilliant – but a bit autistic, socially I guess. but looking back, I realize in a way that – that was a big part of the fun about Jeffrey. though he was kinda clueless in many ways – he put on some great shows. name my favs? BARRY McGEE, CLAIRE ROJAS, ARA PETERSON & JIM DRAIN. the COCOROSIE PERFORMANCE. DASH SNOW & DAN COLEN – NEST. BEN JONES – THE NEW DARK AGE. MICHEL GONDRY – BE KIND REWIND !!
ALL PHOTOS – EXCEPT THE DEITCH PROJECTS POSTER IMAGE – COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH
POSTED BY NANCY SMITH – SAT MAY 1, 2010 – 1 PM