M-city in control

M-city makes big stencil works and I guess he likes Norway. I've enjoyed his street art works in Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger. This year he painted the control tower at Stavanger Airport. What could be cooler? Well, he had permission and took it. I love the work.

M-city is Mariusz Waraz from Gdansk in Poland and have been a street artist for 18 years. His stencils are inspired by machinery, engines, industrial equipment, derelict factories and abandoned spaces. When he is not painting huge murals, he teach graphics at Gdansk's Academy of Fine Arts.

To vreate the the mural on the control tower he used 6 days in his studio,  created the image on the computer and cut out 51 stencil pieces. Then he took the rolls to Norway. It took him another 6 days to paint the 28 m high tower. The result is impressive.

The art work is beautiful and fits really well in the airport environment. The personell must be proud of their new tower and work place.  I wish that M-city could come back every year.

I call him Bansky!

- Hey!! Do you know who did this?
- Eh?
- I met the guy who did this, I own the building!
- It's DOLK!
- Yeah, he is a mystery guy Ah? Just like Bansky.
- Mm... Banksy
-  Whatever! Where u from?
- Norway! Just like DOLK
- And u come all the way from Norway to see this?
- Eh.. yeah! And New York of course!
- Tell Dolk that I keep his work there for at least 50 years, yes forever!
- Well... I probably never meet him....but you have to keep his work, that's a good thing!
- Yeah! And when I meet Banksy, I will call him Bansky
-Ok!

The owner starts up his car and I shoot some more photos. This piece of work outside is just awesome and location is perfect. I'm in East Williamsburg, New York City. I'ts September and the weather is still warm.

The streets of New York are incredibly long and I have walked around for hours and my feets are hurting. But I don't care because it's so much to see, to take in and discover.

Williamsburg is one of Brooklyn's most exciting neighborhoods and straddles old and new, commerce and alternative. It's a lively arts and music scene here and numerous small galleries, cafes and restaurants.

I rest my legs at a gallery/cafe/music venue and soak up the creative energy.

I love Dolk Outside! And finding this piece made my day. As far as I know Its the only Dolk piece left (outside) in Brooklyn and goes back to 2010.

Street Art in Malaga and introducing Dadi Dreucol

A disney like mural with easter island statues

Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, probably the most influential artist of the 20th century. Picasso was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer and a street artist. In 1937 he painted a wall in Guernica as a protest against the german bombing of the city and the coming of General Franco's dictatorship. It's an amazing mural. And if you ever go to Malaga, please visit the beautiful Picasso museum. 

The beautiful patio of the Picasso Museum

Nowadays the andalusian city Malaga is not known for street art, but when you walk around, you see murals and shutter paintings. Small shops and cafés often use murals and paintings  as part of their public image. In addition, as all cities of some size, there are graffiti artists and writers around, using the spray cans with varied skills and experience.  An artist who signed  the works with "Doger" was of the high quality kinds.

True Love by Doger

Dadi Dreucol

However, there was some quite interesting and original stuff in the streets I hadn't seen before. The style reminded me of Escif, the more internationally known brother from Valencia. Dadi Dreucol is from Malaga, but lives and study art in Valencia at the time. In the near future, we probably will see his works in all major street art cities in Europe.

He has a funny/serious characteristic style and go to his web page to see more of his works

DOLK 10 years! From vandal to artist

From illegal street art to high priced prints

Dolk began as street artist in Bergen in 2003 and according to an interview done in 2004, he had clear goals with his work: To travel the world and make money from his art. That goal is reached. He sells prints through hand made posters (hmp) where most works are priced about 900 pounds and most works are sold out. These works goes on ebay for way higher prices. Dolk have gallery exhibitions and are invited to major international street art festivals and do commissioned works all over the world. Dolk have been and is a success story.

His break trough as a stencil artist was probably when Dolk participated at "Santa's Ghetto" festival in London in 2006 (Invited by Banksy). At the same time, this probably also ends his underground image as a vandal, doing illegal works in the streets.

There are not many illegal pieces from Dolk left, and Bergen is probably still the only place where you can find early illegal works by Dolk.

Dolk in Sandviken Bergen (photo 2011)

"Crush" by Dolk in Skottegaten, Bergen (Photo 2011)

Ghetto Spedalsk (Lofoten 2008)

One of Dolks most remarkable projects so far is Ghetto Spedalsk together with Pøbel in the rural area of Lofoten, Norway. They began to paint abandoned houses in 2008 and have continued to do so every summer. This project brought attention to the depopulation and decay in rural parts of Norway and is nationally and internationally recognised. These art works are as far away from their urban roots as possible. I have not been in the Lofoten area my self and is high on my "things to do list". See some works in Lofoten here and on Dolk's own webpage here.

Dolk vs. Banksy

Back in 2004, Dolk formulated another goal in his interview: To "crush" Banksy. Well, that goal still seems far fetched. Banksy was (and may still be) Dolk's idol and hero and influenced Dolk's stecil style early on. Dolk, as Banksy, have still kept his identity a secret and people mix up works by the two artists. Banksy undoubtably helped Dolk's career by inviting Dolk to festivals in London and probably they are friends. Banksy is still the master of this game. While Dolk do commissioned work, sell prints and exhibit in galleries, Banksy still do illegal work in the streets, he makes books, films and action oriented art stunts. Banksy have kept his subversive tone and seems to be more a better organiser and creative to a larger extent than Dolk.

"The Winner" one of the latest works from Dolk. Made for Bergen Night Jazz, May 2013 (photo 2013)

Jef Aerosol: Shhh!

When I'm in Paris, I always find my way to the open space outside the Pompidou Centre. Its so nice to sit and relax by the Stravinsky fountain. I's like a peaceful small island in the middle of the city where the old meets the new. The fountain is between the old church of Saint-Merri and the contemporary centre of modern art, Pompidou. The fountain is inspired by the music of Igor Stravinsky. The sculptures in the fountain is colourful and funny, while others are iron figures painted black that moves like simple mechanical devices, empowered by the water it self. Behind the fountain, you'll see a huge piece of spray painted street art, a face on the wall saying: Shhh! According to the maker Jef Aerosol the message of the mural is “Stop, look and appreciate the city.” And yeah, like me, many stop here to slow down and enjoy the space and the atmosphere.

Jef Aerosol, from Lille in france, is one of the pioneers of urban art, stencil art and street art. He made his first works in the streets in 1982 and the piece on the picture above is made in 2011. It's probably the most photographed street art piece in the world. I had a good rest and was quitely appreciating the city I love so much.

Can't find a better song to accompany this post than "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf (click on the link or the "play" button in the box below to listen).

Dolk: Girl with Megaphone

Dolk Stencil in Stavanger

Street art is a genre were the work outside on the wall is done in seconds, often at night time when darkness and shadows hides the identity of the maker. When the city wakes up, and people buzz around to work, to school, to the bus etc. their environment is changed, a wall have been decorated with something for them to see. It's not a commercial,  a poster or an info board, but street art signed by a pseudonym.

Before this happens, the street art maker have planned this process carefully. The creative process, the idea work and equipment is important. Dependent on style/technics, the street artist make sketches, drawings, prints, cut out stencils, mix wheat paste and choose the right spray paints and colours at home (street artists usually can't afford studios). The placement is important. Its important to be seen (a busy place) and is important to find a place where the work will stay for a while (not painted over or removed at once by angry owners or officials). The street artist also have to take into account CCTV cameras and quick escape routes if detected by security, police or property owners.

The difference between street art and more traditional gallery art is that street art often gives an immediate impression or message to the bypassers which is both recognizable and "food for thought" at the same time. Street art is often simple in style, use iconic images or symbols. Sometimes critical, subversive and satirical. The works challenge our minds, values and ideas. Street art is "anti-commercial", often using similar visual effects and strategies in the public space as the commercial industry.

I think this Paste-up by ICON I found in London is a good example of a classical street art work

However, much has changed the last decade, and the difference between street art, modern art, conceptual art, public art and commercialism is more blury. Today street art as a culture have elements that is both legal and illegal, political and non-political, figural and abstract, small and big, urban and rural, wanted and unwanted, commercial and non commercial, some works is made in seconds and some takes days etc. Many street artists do work both outside and inside (in galleries and in public buildings). What's the difference between street art and vandalism? It's not an easy question to answer because it depends on the eye of the beholder. Today, Dolks street art is highly regarded in Bergen (and internationally) and the works that are left in the streets are preserved, even if this was made illegaly in the first place and previously was regarded as vandalism.

The photo above, showing a girl with a megaphone, I took in Stavanger 2011. This girl have something important to say. To whom? Dolks works often challenge our minds, both on a personal and societal level. See also a previous post about Dolk. Together with this comes "Message in a bottle" with The Police (Click on the link or the "play" button in the box below)

Aram: Colouring the world

I think this is one of the finest pieces of street art in Bergen. Its been there for a long time, at least 5 or 6 years back. In an interview Aram tells that he started with street art in 2008, but I believe this piece have been even longer on that wall. I knew about the work, but hadn't seen it my self. One day, on the bus to town, I spotted it and jumped off on the next stop to take a closer look.

The stencil is quite simple, showing a girl with a paint brush in her hands and a bucket of red paint beside her (hidden a bit behind the green bush). She has already painted one flower and there is another flower in black and white. And if you look closely, you can see a mickey mouse print on her shirt.  By time, the work is worn out and slowly broken down by humidity, waste residues from cars and asphalt dust. Street art is vulnerable and temporary, and I think this work have grown more beautiful and important by time.

I assoiciate children and colours with hope, creativity and beauty. Children and colours, in all their vulnerability, makes this world a better place. This is a common theme in the street art culture; It counterbalance the heavy, boring, functional and grey concrete environment in the city (which represent the aesthetics of the adult). For some street artists, creating this counterbalance, is their main motive for doing art outside in the city environment. 

Together with this work I choose: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (Click on the link or the "play" button in the box below)

Enigmatic Escif

Escif have a special place in my heart and his street art makes you think. His murals are often simple and figural. It's a message in his paitings. A philosophical comment to a actual issue or a contemporay problem or dilemma in our society.

Escif lives and works in Valencia, Spain. He makes wall paintings and murals all over the world. In an interview Escif said: "I understand the painting as an exercise of reflection that can be shared with people. I´m not looking for decorative paintings, I try to wake up viewers' minds."

In 2011 Escif visited Bergen and did several paintings. The mural above is made on "Kvarteret", the student's house in Bergen. Escifs paintings in Bergen focused on the theme "greed" and he connected this theme to our natural resources; Water, Oil and Wealth. I took the photo on a nice evening in town. The obvious thought when I saw this picture is: It rains a lot in Bergen! Thats true, but the more deeper reflection seems, for me, to be about "we have much more than we need" and the problem with that can be: "too much will ruin or ultimately kill us". So, too much fortune can be unfortunate for our spirit, humanity and happiness. It may restrict us as humans rather than enrich us. Thats something to think about!

You might see some more works by Escif here and together with Escif I choose a song from Tracy Chapman: Crossroads. (You can listen by clicking on the link or better, click on the play button in the box below).

C215: City Portraits!

I took this photo this summer (2012) in Paris. I was sitting on the tube on my way to a public park, Bois De Vincennes, right outside the centre of Paris. The train had just crossed the river Seine when I spotted this piece of street art. I forgot about the park for a while and jumped off at the next station and walked back to the river and took a closer look. The signature, C215, was familiar to me. I had seen works of this artist in Bergen, Oslo and London before. 

C215 is a nickname where C stands for Christian which is his real name and 215 is the number of the room where he decided to be an artist, full time. His full name is Christian Guemy and have not been as secretive about his real identity as Banksy. C215 started with stencil art in 2006 and uses a self developed and advanced stencil technique in making his street art. He is known for making illegal works in broad day light and work on several pieces simultaneously in the same area. This video gives and impression of how C215 works. His motives are various, but mostly portraits of humans (e.g. beggars, street kids, homeless people), his daughter and cats. Motives that fit quite well in their urban environment and he seems to avoid prosecution or other forms of sanctions for his work.

It was a lovely day in Paris and my walk in Bois De Vincennes was beautiful. My interest for street art have trained my eye to see and find art in the urban environment. I pick Downtown Train by Tom Waits to accompany this post (click on the link or "play" button below to listen).