Shepard Fairey and OG SoCal culture legend CR STECYK III…

French street art provocateur BLEK LE RAT inaugurated modern street art messiah SHEPARD FAIREY’s newly relocated (and visually stunning) SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS gallery in Echo Park this weekend with his first American solo show, “Art is not Peace but War.” A groundbreaking graffiti writer in the 1980s & 90s, Blek is best known as one of the earliest pioneers of stencil art and his simple monochromatic iconography heavily influenced the street artists from the Bristol scene, most notable of which is the current art star du jour and cash register tickler, Sir Banksy, who adopted not only Blek’s stylistic M.O., but his rat mascot as well. Looking at Blek’s simple, understated imagery, which remains largely unchanged since his early days on the walls of Paris, it’s not hard to see the immediate appeal of the stencil as a graphic tool for street bombing situations and Banksy’s adoption of the once rarified method exploded its popularity within a matter of years spawning a legion of young imitators and monied collectors. With pieces selling briskly at prices ranging from $9,000–$40,000 for original spraypaint on canvas works and a queue of young punters, hipsters, and would-be street art stars wrapping around the block for the better part of the opening nite, it’s clear that the medium’s appeal shows no signs of waning. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »