In a racing world where carbon fiber is the holy grail of track performance, San Francisco-based artist BARRY McGEE (aka: Twist) takes us back to the days of cold hard steel with his incredibly unexpected graphic treatment on this TREK Madone 6.9. Created (with the help of our homies at RVCA) in commemoration of LANCE ARMSTRONG’s competition in the TOUR OF CALIFORNIA for the first time this year, Barry’s signature characters populate a carbon fiber frame masterfully altered to resemble a vintage metal race cycle literally “ridden hard and left out in the rain” one too many times. One of Lance’s personal favorite artists, Barry was chosen for the task because of his unique aesthetic sensibilities and acute love of cycling, particularly fixed gear riding which have melded here in new and truly unexpected ways. Launched tonite as Lance's main ride in his public anti-cancer ride in Hollywood tonite, the bike went on display in NIKE's MONTALBAN THEATER as part of Lance's public announcement of the new “Stages” art campaign being waged to help expand the LIVESTRONG foundation’s global anti-cancer fight (more news on that coming to ST soon). HAVE A LOOK: Read More
BAKSY's back in 2009 with a couple fresh hits in Fogtown. Unsurprisingly, his sense of humor remains undaunted by these dark days...
First Obama, now Lance Armstrong. Our boy Shepard Fairey is on a roll...
Huge LANCE ARMSTRONG art news coming your way this weekend. Meanwhile, SHEPARD FAIREY's new art mural depicting the champion cyclist as cancer fighter in the tireless LIVESTRONG army is underway on the side of NIKE's massive MONTALBAN THEATER at the corner of Hollywood & Vine. Keep an eye on ST for updates throughout the week...
James Jean gets "ArtStrong"...
In an effort to raise awareness for his LIVESTRONG foundation's endless fight against the cancer burden worldwide, Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG has commissioned a series of "Open Roads" street level chalk art installations that began in LA this weekend with the work of nascent art star JAMES JEAN. Attacking the Venice boardwalk on Saturday, Jean quickly grabbed public attention with his incredible yellow chalk mural that in turn inspired over 600 passers-by to pick up chalk themselves and break loose with their own impromptu yellow "street art." Keep your ears peeled for some huge Lance art news coming later this week on ST. Meanwhile, HAVE A LOOK: Read More
...and it hits stands Monday, March 2nd. Don't sleep.
Our man SHEPARD FAIREY has been under a lot of scrutiny in the public eye since he opened fire on the ASSOCIATED PRESS last month with a lawsuit refuting a claim by the AP to the rights to his guerilla OBAMA campaign artwork because his portrait of the then-president elect was based on a photo allegedly under the domain of the photo agency. Leading the charge for the protection of "fair use" rights for all artists, Fairey is prepared to go all the way in his legal battle with pro bono support from the STANFORD LAW SCHOOL FAIR USE PROJECT. Last week, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO's TERRY GROSS interviewed Shepard extensively on the subject, which can be heard in its entirety (25 minutes) HERE.
Apparently, CBS SUNDAY MORNING is officially in the "Street Art" game now, following up their recent KAWS profile with a new segment this morning on SHEPARD FAIREY. Unfortunately the MILF-tastic Serena Altschul wasn't tapped to helm the piece, but the awesome animated spray paint can intro and robotic suburban housewife narration provide ample entertainment nonetheless. The most amazing revelation of the segment? Aside from the gray hair, Shepard still looks almost identical to his elementary school portrait...
KAWS' street hits were the freshest on the block back in '97 when an incredibly young-looking Brian Donnelley was getting busy on the billboards and bus stops of NYC and Tokyo on the regular. Here we see some rare footage of the youthful media manipulator on the go with commentary by fellow bomber RON ENGLISH...
KAWS' anxiously anticipated new show “The Long Way Home,” opened its doors to an absolutely massive crowd at HONOR FRASER gallery in LA last nite, with a queue that wrapped entirely around the block (and then some) for the duration of the frenzied two-hour opening. KAWS' incredibly well behaved legion of faithful followers did their best to make the Brooklyn-based artist feel welcome in his first west coast solo exhibition that featured new paintings (the largest of which went to collector and Supertouch buddy Lance Armstrong), sculptures, a 20" solid bronze Chum figure and a new series of "Kurfs" and Spongebob package paintings that were spoken for well before the opening festivities kicked off.
KAWS pictured with Lance Armstrong's latest acquisition...
TAG, THIS ARTIST IS DEFINITELY IT
KAWS becomes a brand name as his images appear on hip-hoppers' clothes and on gallery walls.
By Chris Lee
February 21, 2009, LATimes
Over the course of a career that has variously infuriated anti-graffiti task force officers and enthralled Japanese street couture collectors—meaning winning props from hip-hop superstars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams—the pop artist KAWS has carved a unique niche for himself. The soft-spoken 34-year-old Jersey City native, born Brian Donnelly, created a new business model that bridges the high-low culture divide in ways that would have made steam come out of Andy Warhol's ears.
By parlaying vandalism into a brand identity as a purveyor of mass-produced collectible toys, KAWS became a bona fide subculture celebrity with a recognizable presence in street fashion.
But now, KAWS is at a career turning point. In spite of his renown in subcultural circles (which galleristas and museum directors have historically snobbed), he is now being mentioned in the same breath as pop art luminaries, such as Takashi Murakami, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons. And while KAWS has proven himself perfectly capable of trafficking his own pop offerings—on skateboard decks, stickers, T-shirts and sneakers—KAWS has infiltrated the rarefied world of institutional art after being held at arm's distance from it for much of his career. Pretty fly for a graf guy.
"When I grew up, I never thought I could enter a gallery," KAWS said over lunch at Chateau Marmont this week. "I looked at them as these pretentious places that did not welcome me." Click HERE to continue reading...
