Shannon Cottrell
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On May 15th, the Pasadena Museum of California Art opens their doors to Street Cred, an exhibition celebrating the art of graffiti, be it in it’s basic form or as a formative tool in the current career and work of fine artists. Interestingly enough, the showing was conceived of before the current Art in the Streets exhibition but was scheduled further in the future and also includes some of the artists from the MOCA. With what looks to be mainly in-state artists, the list includes Michael Alvarez, ANGST, AXIS, Chaz Bojórquez, CODAK, CRAOLA, DASH 2000, Ekundayo, EYEONE, HASTE, Paul SKEPT Kanemitsu, Alex Kizu, KOFIE, MAN ONE, MEAR ONE, Juan Carlos Muñoz Hernandez, Jose Lopez, Erick Montenegro, Nicnak, PUSH, RISK, Jeff Soto, Evan Skrederstu, REVOK, SABER, SHANDU, Jesse Simon, SINER, ZES, and as you can see above – RETNA. The street calligraphist has starting painting one of the walls of the museum and AM was on hand to capture some snapshots for you courtesy of Brandon Shigeta....
Image via Melrose & Fairfax
Twitter was abuzz when news were spread that a mural done by celebrated artists Retna, Rime, Revok, Norm, Saber, and Os Gêmeos was partially painted over by workers from Graffiti Control Systems. Fortunately the process was stopped by the owner of the building before the piece was covered completely. The whitewash was stripped and the piece can be restored.
Graffiti and Street Art are probably the most controversial forms of art with artists being in conflict with the governments constantly. Many incredible pieces by exceptional artists have already been buffed, one of the most famous being Sabers LA River piece. It's time that the authorities realise how valuable those art works are and thank the artists instead of constantly destroying their work!
Saber has posted a very interesting blog post written by Piper Severance about the incident:...
Thanks to Alex Pardee's Facebook, I've found this! What an amazing art show! Just the idea to make an exhibition about the Black rabbit of Inle, a character of Richard Adam's "Watership Down", is pure brilliancy! Then look at the list of artists. We have Alex Pardee, Ron English, Linkin Park's Joe Hahn, Jersey Joe Rime, Revok, Retna, Dave Flores ATC, Jeff Soto, Dan May, Tony Curanaj, Pete Wentz, Travie McCoy, etc. This show just has to be good!
EDIT: As the opening was yesterday, I will try to find some more pictures and post them here.
Gallery 1988 posted already two contributions on their blog. This one is from curator Greg Simkins:...
Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight for the Americas. As the sister event of Switzerland's Art Basel, the most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 41 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city's beautiful Art Deco District, within walking distance of the beach and many hotels. An exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world's most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. The show will be a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-calibre artworks. Top-quality exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art. And every year, a greater number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in Art Basel Miami Beach - the favorite winter meeting place for the international art world. We look forward to welcoming you at Art Basel Miami Beach 2010.http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com ...