Customized Skateboards | Last weekend, the Berlin Art Projects Gallery opened its doors for the skateboard art show “The Helping Hounds Of Hell”, which presented a huge count of different skateboard decks, customized by about 40 artists from all over the globe! The Helping Hounds Of Hell is a charitable art project launched by the Berlin based design studio Groupe Dejour to benefit the Fair Play foundation. The hand painted, one of a kind boards will be sold at two exhibitions in Berlin and Hamburg. International artists, street artists and graphic designers will create unique boards for the show including Boris Hoppek, Jim Avignon, Jon Burgerman and Casey McKee. (houndsofhell.de) ...

Graffiti Flood | There are pictures like this that go around the world in those days: Flooded roads, people on the roofs of their houses… and massive graffiti on the trains. Australia’s flooded metropolis Brisbane is experiencing a new graffiti boom! As my friend, who recently came back from Australia, told me and the following flicks confirm, it becomes more and more easier for the writers to paint trains. Because of the evacuated neighborhoods the police is completely overwhelmed and has other things to do than monitor railway lines. Additionally, trains are often parked all night at train stations or on the tracks. The result is that Brisbane is nowadays a paradise for the local crews. The proves it… ...

Mural Art | After Spanish graffiti and street artist Aryz painted his concrete wall, Barcelona-based GR170 is the next artist participating in the “Concrete Walls” project! GR170 was born, and now paints and lives, in the outskirts of Barcelona. He began painting in 2001, and now considers himself to be a painting addict, who loves painting on the streets, and the stale smell of plastic (paint) in the morning. Due to the zero tolerance police, and the hypocrisy of the government bodies behind it, the creation of murals on the streets of Barcelona has become more and more restricted. For this, and other, reasons, the majority of murals created are illegal, and done with no profit in mind, in abandoned factories, tunnels, motorway bridges, and any other places with big cement walls which are not watched over by police. (mtn-world.com) ...

Art Installation | One of my favorite art galleries in Berlin will present a weekend of Parisian live art installations next week: Skalitzers presents ‘Earthbound Escape’, in association with DAS Weekend - a live art installation by Parisian artists Babou and Tanc, exploring the visual and emotional boundaries between art, music and life. (Skalitzers) Both arists have already been part of the “Kiss the City” exhibition last year, in which they presented their beautiful interpretations of tags. For that reason I’m looking forward to the upcoming show - I really want to see how Babou and Tanc sounds and ink… ...

Some days after this year’s “No Pants Subway Ride” action day the report is online, including a lot of photos and a video! On Sunday, January 9th, 2011 over 5,000 people took off their pants on subways in 48 cities in 22 countries around the world. In New York, our 10th Annual No Pants Subway Ride had over 3,500 participants, spread out over six meeting points and ten subway lines. (Improv Everywhere) ...

Graffiti Design | I’m pretty sure, you all can remember the fantastic “700 Wall” graffiti project by famous writer MadC. She started a year ago to create first sketches for a massive 700m² wall and finished last December! The result of her work was not just a brilliant wall but also for instance round about 1500 empty spray-cans. Using some of these empty spray-cans as the base material she had a chair built, which is called “Mad-700” and in addition to the fat cap chair another example for successful graffiti-inspired interior design. ...

Artist Interview | Some days ago, I stumbled upon the fantastic telephone interview with famous photographer, urban artist, political activist and the 2011 TED Prize winner JR, TED did with him in October 2010. It seems like I totally missed it back then… However, JR talks about his “28 Millimetres Project”, how it started, why he did it, what reactions he tried to cause with it and why “Women Are Heroes”… ...

Urban Art Weekend Tip | Tomorrow evening, another interesting urban art event will take place in Berlin. Do you remember these graffiti kids back in the eighties who painted their names or those of their crews on their jeans jackets? To pay homage to these so called backpieces, the German creative crew Klub7 organized an interactive exhibition this weekend! Supported by Molotow, Levi’s and other brands, urban artists from different background including Bronco, Gogoplata, Flying Förtress, Peachbeach, Poet, Tika, Tower, Superblast and others will wear their own customized jackets at the “Party Arty Vol. 34 – Klub7 Special” party. So you will have old-school and new-school writers, illustrators, street artists, painters and fashion freaks in one location! ...

Some days ago, I received an interesting book about street art in South America or more precisely Buenos Aires! Matt Fox-Tucker and Guilherme Zauith present in “Textura Dos - Buenos Aires Street Art” their impressions from the streets of the Argentinian capital and its neighborhoods on about 140 colorful pages. After “Graffiti Argentina” this is just the second book I know which documents the colorful urban artworks in Argentina. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with a vibrant street art scene attracting some of the world’s best graffiti artists. Matt Fox-Tucker has spent more than six months exploring the city’s 48 neighbourhoods documenting and photographing the incredible murals, stencils and graffiti textures that decorate the surfaces of its offices, shops, factories and homes, and touch the lives of the people around them. (buenosairesstreetart.com) ...

Yesterday I received a nice e-mail by two French film-makers you informed me about their new urban documentary series “Streetosphere” about the surprising urban cultures in Europe. The first episode will take place in Paris. After that, many cities will be discovered in Europe. Each episode is 26 minutes long. We Discover the city with people who use the urban space to make insolite actions. We want to have a poetic approach in a dynamic program. (Sterenn Films) ...