IS POSTER BOY BACK?
This looks like the work of NYC’s masked avenger Poster Boy.
About a year ago, we were seeing more of these crude cut and paste jobs, even a street art collaboration with NYC street artist Aakash Nihalani. On Jan, 30, Poster Boy was busted by undercover cops in a Soho gallery space and carted off to Rikers. The poster mash-ups came to a halt and Poster Boys identity was revealed as Henry Matvjewicz, a 27 year old art student originally from Connecticut…or was it? The New York Times published a piece on February 4, that Matvjewicz was just a stand-in…and the real poster boy was still at large looming in the shadows, dicing up posters. Matvejewicz story has holes, making the copy-cat artist story plausible, but for now, Matvejewicz has officially taken the heat and continues to stands up for his Poster Boy manifesto. So whats the conviction behind it all?
“Nobody wants to see those ads. Some ads are clever, you know. You watch the Superbowl and you see like a funny ad or a clever ad, and there is some art behind it. You know, composition and color, there’s some appreciation. But then when it’s that big and in-your-face and it’s so aggressive; you get kinda tired of it. You’re like, Damn, I wish that shit would just like disappear. And then someone like Poster Boy comes by and just says, “Fuck it.” I’m going to cut it down with same razor I use in the subway..there are things out there that are not right and probably always will be things that are not right, and you have to decide your level of involvement and how you have to change that. I’ve decided that as a human being, as Henry Matyjewicz, as an artist, as a citizen, as an American. I understand what I can do and what I want to do and my involvement; and I think people should do that too and not be afraid to get arrested because that fear is why were are in this predicament—this moral predicament— in the first place, you know. You need to stop being scared and being empowered and thinking you can make a difference.”- Poster Boy
Whether or not this newly diced up ad is the mark of the actual Poster Boy or not may remain a mystery…one thing for sure, the spirit of Poster Boy is still alive in NYC.
ABSTRACT POLAROIDS
Grant Hamilton is fighting to keep a dying medium alive. He has created a series of polaroid photographs capturing simple geometric lines of color and is working on a documentary film called “Time Zero” that documents the last days of Polaroid. Here is what Grant had to say about his new project in Daily Tonic:
“Through my photos, I strive to find beauty in the mundane. It is hard to describe to passers-by why, exactly, I am photographing the side of a bus or standing on a ladder on the side of a road, trying to reach a sign. Most of the time, however, people will see the beauty that I am seeing and will smile. Often they will remark that they never noticed that before.”
SKIN ART
British artist Shantell Martin has been experimenting with “skin-illustration” this past year and it seems this trend is catching on. Nina Chakrabarti recently published a new fashion spread in i want you magazine that features some striking photographs of women with skin illustrations as well. While Martin’s illustrates right onto the models, Chakrabarti draws on top of the photographs themselves creating a somewhat different effect…kinda creepy. Sort of a highly evolved, more artistic version of drawing on the kid who passes out at a keg. Maybe the art of eyebrow shaving is next. Top photo is Martin, the bottom two are Chakrabarti.
TWO LILYS FROM PAM GLEW
Discosalt artist Pam Glew has some really sweet new prints for sale.
Candy Pop Antichrist (left) is based loosely on Lily Allen, named Antirchrist because of the inverted union jack has been turned into a kind of upside-down cross.
Saint (right) is also based on a Lily, this one is Lily Cole, the one with the angel face and a saintly look about her, I think the Pre-reaphealites would have loved Lily Cole. The original flags were made from American Flags, turned into Union Jacks with many pairs of denim jeans (the rivets and pockets are still visible). The images are painted with blecah freehand to make these new deconstructed cameo portraits.
Check out more of Pams work at her upcoming “A Mirror Distorted” show at Carmichael Gallery in LA
6-27 August.
Carmichael Gallery,
Hollywood, USA
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JEFFREY CAPOSSELA
Over the years, most of Jeffrey’s work was based on creating surreal portraits inspired by icons of pop culture. Influenced by the work of Matisse, Van Gogh and other post-impressionist artists, he has used a plethora of brilliant pure colors to create simplified structures of form in a ‘dream like’ manner. His familiar aesthetic images are primarily created by building layer upon layer of acrylic paint. Moving to Hoboken, NJ in 2002, played an extremely influential part on Jeffrey’s most recent work. Inspired by the scenic view of the NYC skyline from across the Hudson River, he explored photography at sunset and sunrise. His paintings, referencing his photographs and his own personal vision, are created using high contrast acrylic paints and bold geometric representations of his environment. The natural light contrast on the stark and industrial sides of buildings creates a dramatic effect depicted in his choice of intense colors and use of abstract organic shapes. Jeffrey Philip Capossela was born in Connecticut, but lived in several different places throughout his childhood He attended high school in Ridgefield, CT and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Rhode Island. He lived in Hoboken, NJ from 2002-2007 and attended New York University in 2005, where he received a professional certificate in Web Design & Multimedia. He currently lives in Tuckahoe, NY. For more info on Jeffrey’s work click HERE or email info@discosalt.com
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SARA BROSKI
Sara Broski gets right to the point. She’s found that being able to get her ideas across as efficiently as possible is a very important and yet often difficult task, but one which she is up for. Through her little paintings, Sara hopes to express her ideas and amuse you at the same time. Life is not as serious as it sometimes seems and Sara wants the viewers of her art to walk away with a smirk on their face. If you are interested in Sara’s work or purchasing prints, check out more of her work HERE or contact a Discosalt rep at info@discosalt.com.
GREEN GRAFFITI IN BROOKLYN
Artists are constantly redefining the way we look at and experience public space…and now the way we look at being green. In Brooklyn, Eco artist Edina Tokodi has created a living wall installation on the Green Spaces NY rooftop that is made completely out of plants. The installation was created for the Fort Green Garden Walk event and will eventually be on display in a public space this summer.
SEHSUCHT: IDEA: F5 RE: PLAY
Awesome video from the F5 RE: pLAY Film Festival in NYC this past April titled “Idea” from Sehsucht. F5 gathers some of the best creative minds from around the world to present a rich mix of disciplines to redefine creative expression. This video may only last 1:20 but its completely hypnotic. Check it out.
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: AARON SING-FOX
Aaron Sing Fox: Flesh and Blood, 6′ 160lbs. Yep, that’s all we got for ya. Mysterious enough? Check out more of Aaron’s work HERE
TRANSPARENCY: KHRISTIAN MENDOZA
Transparency is certainly the buzz word of our era and there is always a need for simple transparent design. Through some rather ingenious photos, Khristian Mendoza, a student at Swinburne University in Australia visualizes this simple message…and rather effectively at that.
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: BRUCE NEW
Bruce News work is an attempt to document his existence, to leave a visual record of his thoughts, ideas, and fantasies. He currently reside in the wilds of Kentucky, with a bird and his son, on a mountain top, right next to the sun, where he creates artwork high on butterfly wine. Check out more of Bruces work HERE
PARAPHRASE: GROUP EXHIBITION AT ARARIO
What: Paraphrase
Where: Arario New York
521 W. 25t St., 2nd FL
New York, New York 10001
When: Opening Reception Thursday, June 25 (6-8pm)
On view from June 26-July 24
Arario, an NYC gallery for Asian contemporary art is showcasing a new group exhibit called Paraphrase this month. “The title—meaning a restatement of a text or passage; to put something in your own words; or to give meaning in another form—suggests how these artists approach long-established written and visual languages.”
The exhibit will feature works by NYC street artist, Discosalt friend and favorite Aakash Nihalani. We began following the work of Aakash Nihalani just over a year ago and his signature open-air installations which use flourecent tape as his sole medium have become instantly recognizable in and around the city. Nihalani’s street art is one of the most relevant forms of art right now because it gives a fresh persepctive on public space that creates room for new words and ideas.
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS STREET ART SIGHTINGS
Two adjacent street art paste ups spotted on the Brooklyn Heights waterfront for ya. One, from what looks like Brooklyn street artist Judith Supine and another rasterbated wheat paste of punk icon Sid Vicious from what could be the work of Discosalt favorite Mr. Brainwash.
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JENNA CHOATE
Jenna works from a detailed vision that she sets out to recreate, whether arising from her subconscious or something from everyday life that sparks her imagination. A common plant such as a Venus Fly Trap will transform itself into a vagina, eating tiny man flies that she simply must capture. A common kitchen appliance will reveal a bored house wives tool for masturbation that she will recreate and photograph. In case you havent already figured it out, most of Jennas ideas are raunchy, visual puns that you laugh about and later construct. Some of her jokes could be considered bathroom humor while others deal with more serious issues such as gender and roles women have in society. She photographs mostly women, feminine men and mannequins, all of which have roles that are blurred. For Jenna, exploration and a quick imagination allow other visions to surface. She believes in getting her ideas through experience, her minds eye, day-dreams and fantasies, not other peoples.
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LINDSEY BUSHONG
Lindsey’s work is a visual diary of her experiences, thoughts and imagination. As thoughts are momentary, so are her images-created as narratives of characters seeking truth. Lindsey consciously directs light and matter towards the subjects within the photograph, seeking to create stillness and subtle grace. Lindsey Bushong is a member of the Discosalt Artist Collective and works out of New York.
