Technical road cycling gear has long-suffered from a dearth in style. While no roadie would ever shy away from spandex, the color schemes and the overwhelmingly Windows ’98-looking graphics in the industry have been overdue for a…
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The Web 2.0 era has allowed unprecedented access to self-publishing in music, writing and videos. While this democratization of communication has both drawbacks and benefits, it’s safe to say the amount of content to sift through is staggering. To avoid getting bogged down…
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by Hunter Hess The brainchild of Portland, Oregon-based artist Gage Hamilton, public mural project Forest for the Trees recently brought together over a dozen artists from five countries to…
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Brooklyn-based artist and designer Ed Roth, the creative mind behind Stencil1, is showcasing his free-hand talents with a gallery exhibition at Seattle’s Twilight Gallery and Boutique. Opening 8…
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Working primarily with large scale wheat pastes of black and white portraits, street artist JR has gained recognition—although his actual identity is still considered unknown—among his peers and art-conscious citizens all over the world to win…
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by Vivianne Lapointe A grouping of islands smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is one of the most isolated places on earth. Over many generations, Hawaii has become a melting pot of cultures home to a vibrant alliance of artists who, year after year, share a…
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With its inaugural public arts project, “In Plain Sight,” the The Street Museum of Art (SMoA) is challenging the notion of sequestering street art to a museum by bringing the museum out to the streets. Featuring work from artists like Sweet Toot, Paul Richard, and Elle, the streets of…
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Punk-inspired metamorphic works from Parisian artist Ludo
Street artist Ludo takes to the gallery with “Le Punk Français,” an installation-meets-exhibition that deals with themes of metamorphosis and global issues. Among the many transformations that occur at the artist’s hand are a mosquito turned Dyson vacuum, a bunch of skulls arranged as grapes and a snail with…
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A conversation with Slinkachu on his international street installations
A de facto ambassador for “little people,” London-based Slinkachu delights passersby with diminutive scenes left in unexpected locales. From dunking basketball players and magic carpet riders to hanged men and lonely brides, Slinkachu’s tableaus show off the many faces of the human condition. The quick-witted artist has been doing…
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A group show breaks down the iconography of signage
Carlo McCormick, senior editor of PAPER Magazine and co-author of “Trespass: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art,” recently unveiled his curated show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. “Détournement: Signs of the Times” is an exhibition of work composed of familiar signs that have been modified by iconoclastic artists. A term first used by Letterist International in the 1950s, McCormick describes détournement in his curator’s statement as “a detour of sorts, but not so much along the scenic route as over the tougher road that goes more directly to the truth.”
“We live in a forest of signs that are meant to confuse, distract and numb us to the more dire consequences of the human condition as it is,” writes McCormick. “We do not need to follow these signs, we need to make our own so as to find a way out of the mess we are in.” A shortlist of the 20 artists involved includes Zevs, Shepard Fairey, Posterboy, Steve Powers AKA “Espo” and Aiko. Collectively, the group attempts to reverse the persuasive nature of advertorial and cultural signs by jostling the viewer.
In hosting the exhibition, Jonathan LeVine Gallery continues its dedication to subversive street and pop art. A few standout pieces from the show include “Am I Dead Yet?” by Jack Napier and Billboard Liberation Front, Martin Wong‘s “Traffic Sign for the Hearing Impaired” and “Incredible Edible Cathy Cowgirl” by Ron English.
“Détournement: Signs of the Times” is on view now through 25 August 2012.
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