In The Brooklyn Rail, Hrag writes that street artists are rebellious lawbreakers exerting their right to public space, but on the other hand they are the ultimate capitalists monetizing their talents into commodities that sell increasing well. “Free of the stigma of graffiti�s spray-painted scribbling, street art is a kinder, prettier, gentler, more intellectual evolution of the same genre. The consensus of the street art community is that the term refers to work of any medium made on the street. In an email interview with Gaia, a 19-year-old street artist, he explained to me some of the intricacies of this constantly evolving form, ‘�the one defining factor is that it directly addresses the question of what is the definition of private and public space [and its ownership]…this is a question that street art inherently poses simply due to its illegal nature and that other art inherently does not consider because it is sanctioned.’ If London is the global center of street art, New York is only a step behind with north Brooklyn acting as the epicenter of that American hub. Relatively cheap rents, a burgeoning hipster/arts community, the ubiquity of derelict spaces and an established graffiti culture makes north Brooklyn fertile ground for the new experimental world of street art.” Read more.
Electric Windows: On May 17th and 18th artists will be painting murals live on the street in front of 510 Main Street in Beacon, NY. The pieces range from 8’x12′ to 8’x8′ At the end of the day on the 18th all of te pieces will be installed in the windows of the vacant factory building across from 510 Main Street. According to the organizers, both the creation of the art and the installation will be an amazing site to see. Participating artists include Above, Chris Stain, Cycle, Dan Funderburgh, Daryll Peirce, Depoe, Elbow Toe, Jim Darling, ILOVEMYBOO, Lady Pink, Michael De Feo , Mr Kiji , Peripheral, Media, Projects , Peat Wollaeger, Rene Gagnon, Rick Price, Rissssa Boogie, Ripo , Ron English , Tes One , The Love Movement , Tina Darling, Ultra , UPSO , You Are Beautiful. For artist links click here.
