Graffiti America: Exploring US Street Art

Famous graffiti artists Os Gemeos who recently opened their first US solo exhibition at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston, are now part of a racism debate, started on Fox 25’s Facebook thread… Their previously painted, brilliant The Giant of Boston mural on the old ventilation building in Dewey Square has been reeling in racially-charged remarks from people who have viewed the public artwork, as Steve Annear documented for the Bostinno: ...

Os Gemeos is currently in Boston at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) for their first US solo exhibition, painting murals and beautifying the city with street pieces! As usual, I’m more than flashed by the twins’ painting skill and their famous Pixacao motive is one of my personal favorites. Bostonians can be happy, having these two graffiti artists in town! Make sure to watch that video interview with Os Gemeos for some private insights into their history, but first enjoy that great new Os Gemeos street piece… ...

This August the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston is going to present the first US solo exhibition by the Brazilian brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, better known as Os Gemeos! But before they will open the exhibition doors tomorrow, the Os Gemeos twins are painting outside at both The Revere Hotel and on the ventilation building in Dewey Square… Best known as Os Gêmeos, the twins are a major force in graffiti and urban art. The twins have a deep bond; they are tireless collaborators and say that they often experience the same dreams. In an effort to share their dreams with the world, they depict their visions in surreal paintings, sculpture, and installations: human figures with removable faces, exploding bursts of color, and room-size heads installed with shanty interiors. (ICA Boston) ...

What happens when a city declares war on graffiti? That’s one of the questions, the documentary Between the Lines, a film about a group of Toronto street artists who find new meaning in their work as they defend it against Mayor Rob Ford’s War on Graffiti, is going to answer! As mentioned by thegridto.com, Toronto’s Mayor Ford is making sure that everyone knows that he hates graffiti and street art since he took office in late 2010: He’s since gone so far as to slap on the coveralls himself to power-blast it from the walls of the city and herald a new mobile app that lets Torontonians report what they deem to be unsightly scribbles and murals themselves. ...

Billboard Bandits - Outlaw Artists in the Sky is the title of an upcoming billboard graffiti book, currently fund raising money at Kickstarter… This book is unlike any other in its genre, delving deep into the worlds of graffiti and street art yet focusing on the fascination with conquering billboards. While graffiti itself is illusive in nature, billboard graffiti takes it a step further as one of the most daring aspects of the craft. ...

Remember the Hennessy Cognac-bottle designed by NY artist KAWS? Following the success of their artist collaboration, Hennessy has teamed up with graffiti legend Futura 2000 to design their latest special collectors edition bottle! This video follows Futura around New York City as he talks about some important experiences in his childhood and discusses his graffiti background. Pretty nice footage and some interesting statements by one of the most influential graffiti artists from the US make this graffiti master interview worth watching. ...

This fall, the Manhattan auction house Doyle New York is going to host New York’s first art auction dedicated to street art and graffiti! This street art auction’s aim is to span the late 1970s through the present day, for what reason Doyle New York is currently seeking works to feature by such artists as Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, KAWS, Os Gemeos, David Choe, Faile, Barry McGee, Zephyr, Dr. Lakra, Swoon, Lady Pink, Dash Snow, Futura 2000, Crash, Ron English, D*Face, Seen, Dondi White, and many more… ...

Los Angeles graffiti writer Revok of The Seventh Letter is a living US-American graffiti legend. Last year, he showed his Triumph and Tragedy series at Vicious Gallery in Hamburg and now, he is back with a great collaboration between the world’s first social merchandising company The Hundreds and The Seventh Letter… Police, they don’t care about graffiti. Talking about some private details of Revok’s life, his career being a graffiti writer and his thoughts about the police, this pretty interview looks like a nice prelude for an even more extensive one coming soon. I’m looking forward to it! ...

Yesterday, I had the chance to revisit the jaw-dropping metal wildstyle sculptures of Mare139 — and let me tell you, I was completely blown away. For those not already in the know, Mare139 (aka Carlos Mare Rodríguez) is a name that resonates with graffiti writers and street art lovers around the world. While many contemporary street artists are just beginning to dip their toes into the fine art world, Mare139 has been bridging the gap between graffiti and high art since the early 1980s. Not only is he celebrated for his iconic B-boy series, but his groundbreaking 3D graffiti sculptures have set the gold standard for graffiti as sculptural art. ...

Do you remember How & Nosm, Nunca, Retna, Faile, Andrew Schoultz and around 25 other urban artists painting those old, abandoned (military) airplanes for the Boneyard Project? Recently, this new official video produced by filmmaker Jason Wawro was published, documenting mainly the ideas of this unique art event with statements by Faile, Andrew Schoultz and Bast, talking about their ups and downs (gravity and liquid aren’t friends!) during the creative process. The video also includes several amazing images of different plane painting processes and background info about the entire process. ...