Tag Archives: Swoon

CAPITALE(S) 60 Years of Urban Art in Paris

Butterfly Art News is pleased to partner with the Ville de Paris for the Exhibition ‘CAPITALE(S) – 60 ans d’art urbain’, hosted within the Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall, and running from 15 October until 3 June 2023. Free entry, but booking is essential here

Through the creations of more than 70 artists, works from prestigious collections, archive documents, photos and videos, in situ interventions, painted walls throughout the city, CAPITALE(S) presents a wide panorama of the Urban Art Movement and the importance of the Parisian scene spanning across the past 60 years.

The exhibition starts with pioneers from the 60’s and 70’s like Jacques Villegle, Raymond Hains, Ernest Pignon-Ernest or Zlotykamien.

Then the early 80’s feature the white man figures of Jerôme Mesnager, robots by Speedy Graphito and the proliferation of stencils by Miss Tic, Blek Le Rat, Mosko, Jef Aerosol, Epsylon Point.

This period of intense urban activity allows the emergence of artists’ collectives such as VLP (Vive la Peinture) affiliated with the punk culture or the Ripoulin brothers.

French-American teenager Bando (b. in 1965) introduced graffiti in France after writing in New York, followed by the New York City Rap Tour in 1982. Graffiti writers invade the banks of the Seine and adorn the palissades of the Louvre construction site. Stalingrad, a spot found by graffiti writer Ash, becomes the Hall of Fame for the prolific graffiti scene until 1989, featuring writers like Mode2, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, Lokiss, Nasty, SKKI and numerous graffiti crew. In parallel  Psychose paints in the catacombs and the underground sewers system.

In 1987 Keith Haring paints the emergency staircase of the Hopital Necker to provide hopes of brightening the spirits of sick children in the world’s first pediatric hospital.

Like in the US, graffiti was severely repressed in Paris in the early 90’s. American artists like Futura, A-One or even Rammellzee gain recognition from the European artistic community and present their works in galleries and museums in Paris.  JonOne will settle permanently in Paris.

In the 2000’s, urban art has become a global movement with a multitude of techniques: from graffiti to street art, paste ups, stickers, stencils, mosaics and more. International artists are coming to Paris to leave their mark:  Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Banksy, Vhils.   

French artists have also gained international recognition: Andre, Invader, Zevs, JR, Dran, Lek and Sowat, Seth, L’Atlas, C215, Ludo, RERO, Philippe Baudelocque to Levalet.

Specially for CAPITALE(S), Invader has put two new aliases to be flashed for all the Flash Invaders addicts and shared a fully updated map of his invasion of the streets of Paris.

The exhibition presents also immersive and playful experiences.

Kashink, Kraken and Madame have created 3 entirely virtual works, hidden in a secret room of the exhibition: “The Fifth Wall“. A hunt for clues in Augmented Reality can be found through QR codes to be scanned under the works.

Visitors can try out graffiti with a digital spray can through GRAFFITI DIGITAL Picturae.

Artist Cristobal Diaz has created a GRAFF BOX, an immersive experience combining urban calligraphic production with playful digital devices featuring 250 artists.

While it is difficult to include the full scope of artists that have been active in Paris in the past 60 years within the City Hall, the four curators Magda Danysz, Elise Herszkowicz, Nicolas Laugero Lasserre and Marko93 have gathered following artists:

• Jacques Villeglé • Zlotykamien • Ernest Pignon-Ernest • Surface Active • Captain Fluo • Edmond Marie Rouffet • Blek le Rat • Miss.Tic • VLP • Speedy Graphito • Jean Faucheur • Mesnager • Mosko • Jef Aérosol • Bando • Ash • Jay0ne • SKKI • Keith Haring • Mambo • Nasty • Slice • Psyckoze • Lokiss • Shoe • Futura • A-One • Rammellzee • Jon0ne • André • Zevs • Dize • Invader • Shepard Fairey • JR • Vhils • Swoon • Banksy • C215 • L’Atlas • YZ • Seth • Tarek Benaoum • eL Seed • Ludo • Rero • Dran • O’Clock • Tanc • Lek • Sowat • Cristobal Diaz • Philippe Baudelocque • Levalet • Madame • Kashink • Vision • Pest • Greky • Sébastien Preschoux • Romain Froquet • Kraken • 9eme Concept • Les Francs Colleurs • Saype

There is also a prolific programme throughout the exhibition:

  • New murals will be painted at the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin and in several Parisian districts,
  • A selection of pictures will be featured on the gates of the City Hall,
  • Workshops, conferences and screenings of films and documentaries.
  • A book accompanying the exhibition is available at Gallimard / Editions Alternatives

Big thanks to all the teams, artists, photographers, lenders and institutions that have participated to the exhibition, specially Clemence Demolling, as well as all the artists that have contributed to the scene over the past 60 years.

CAPITALE(S) – 60 ANS D’ART URBAIN

PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE ( Paris City Hall), 5 Rue Lobeau 75004 Paris

15 October – 3 June 2023

Free entry, but booking is essential here

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Celebration of Female Artists

Swoon - Nuit Blanche Paris 14

We would like to celebrate our favorite female artists worldwide, who are pushing boundaries in graffiti /street art as well as contemporary art. The list is unlimited so we are sending much love and support to ALL the female artists.

Keep doing what you are doing!

AIDA WILDE (UK)
Aida Wilde

BARBARA KRUGER (US)
Barbara Kruger - Forever

AYA TAKANO (JP)
Aya Takano

CARRIE REICHARDT
The Art of Politics

CHIHARU SHIOTA (JP)
Chiharu Shiota

FAITH47 (SA)
Faith47 - London

HERA (DE)
Herakut


LADY AIKO (US)

Aiko -Unstoppable Waves

MAD C (DE)
Marrakech Biennale MB6 Street Art

MAYA HAYUK (US)MIMA - Maya Hayuk

MISS VAN (FR)
Rose Beton Festival - Toulouse

NATALIA FABIA (US)

OLEK (US)
Olek - London

SWOON (US)
MIMA - Swoon

TARA MCPHERSON (US)
Tara McPherson

YAYOI KUSAMA (JP)
Yayoi Kusama

MIMA ‘City Lights’ with Swoon

MIMA - Swoon

Inaugurating the new Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA) in Brussels, created by Florence and Michel Delaunoit, Alice van den Abeele, and Raphaël Cruyt, four pillars of the New York Street Art scene, MOMO, Swoon, Faile, and Maya Hayuk are showing their unique street practice.

We start off with a look at Swoon’s intricate hand-cut paper patterns and wheat-pasted figures. A large portrait of ‘Ice Queen‘ featuring Olivia Katz (which was first seen at the MOCA in 2011) adorn the outside wall of the museum.

MIMA - SwoonMIMA - Swoon     MIMA - Swoon

In the basement Swoon created an immersive installation looking like a maze with her signature characters featuring family and friends she met through her various encounters: from a portrait of her mum surrounded by buddhist protectors ‘Dharmapalas’, Walki, a young boy from Haiti who benefited from the Konbit Shelter Project, George, an inmate from Philadelphia who worked with Swoon, to her latest portrait of Sonya.

MIMA - SwoonMIMA - Swoon MIMA - Swoon    MIMA - SwoonMIMA - Swoon    MIMA - Swoon  MIMA - Swoon     MIMA - Swoon     MIMA - Swoon
MIMA - Swoon    MIMA - Swoon            MIMA - SwoonMIMA - Swoon  MIMA - Swoon   MIMA - SwoonMIMA - Swoon MIMA - Swoon

View the full set of pics here

Stay tuned for the rest of our coverage of City Lights with Faile, Momo and Maya Hayuk.

MIMA Museum – City Lights
Until 31 December 2016
Brussels

London: Venturing Beyond @ Somerset House

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House

The Somerset House is currently celebrating the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s book Utopia with a large show called UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility.
As part of this major exhibition, arts organisation A(by)P have renewed their collaboration with Somerset House ( see our previous coverage on Mapping the City and Futurismo Ancestral) with a new exhibition Venturing Beyond: Graffiti and the Everyday Utopias of the Street.

The show is exploring unsanctioned public art – or graffiti – as an intrinsically utopian practice and features specially-commissioned work of eighteen street artists from around the globe, including Antwan Horfée, Brad Downey, Eltono, Filippo Minelli, Huskmitnavn, Les Freres Ripoulain, Lucas Dillon, Mike Ballard, Misha Hollenbach, Nano4814, Petro, Revok, Russell Maurice, Saeio, Shepard Fairey, Sixe Paredes and Swoon.

Italian artist Fillipo Minelli kicked off the exhibition with his smoke performance, part of his ongoing Silence / Shapes series.

Venturing Beyond at Somerset HouseVenturing Beyond at Somerset House

Using high visibility material, Petro (UK) enables the viewers to venture in places not normally accessible (through its ability to make the wearer invisible).

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset HouseVenturing Beyond at Somerset House

Blur Book from Les Freres Ripoulain (FR) is a version of a graffiti artist’s ‘Black Book’, but they have pixelated the content, to draw attention to the site specific context in which these works exist and to the performative doing of graffiti. NegatifX features a selection of images from their urban interventions between 2006 and 2016.

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House Venturing Beyond at Somerset House
Venturing Beyond at Somerset House Venturing Beyond at Somerset House

Brad Downey (US) created installation works that remain invisible at first sight using coloured wall plugs, installed directly behind other artist’s pieces.

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House

Mike Ballard‘s series of work are inspired by the ‘urban hieroglyphics’ left by utility companies left on London Streets and explore the threshold between public and private space.

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House

From 13 – 20 April, French artists Horfée and Russell Maurice will take up residency, providing visitors with an insight into the processes of the practice. Working in situ, they will produce a new body of work based on the utopian themes of the exhibition. This project space will then remain open for viewing alongside the main exhibition until 2 May.
Venturing Beyond at Somerset HouseVenturing Beyond at Somerset House   Venturing Beyond at Somerset House  Venturing Beyond at Somerset HouseVenturing Beyond at Somerset House

In addition, A(by)P and Somerset House will be producing a wide-ranging programme of events to follow the key themes of the exhibition, including workshops, talks, films, music and performances.

Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House  Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House Venturing Beyond at Somerset House     Venturing Beyond at Somerset House

View the full set of pics here

Venturing Beyond:
Graffiti and the Everyday Utopias of the Street.
3 March – 2 May 2016
Terrace Rooms, South Wing
Somerset House

Berlin: Urban Nation PM/7 – Part 2

Urban Nation PM7

In parallel to the windows and facade they decorated with their Persons of Interest (see here) 12 Brooklyn based artists were given carte blanche to decorate the walls of the Urban Nation Haus for a pop up show in Berlin, where nothing was for sale. Each of the participating artist including Icy & Sot, Don Rimx, Case, Specter, Swoon, NohJColey, Dain, Chris Stain, El Sol 25, Esteban Del Valle and Gaia used their own tools and techniques to create a colourful and ephemeral display directly onto the walls.

Here are some behind the scenes shots:

Urban Nation PM7 - Cake      Urban Nation PM7 - Don RimxUrban Nation PM7 - Cake   Urban Nation PM7 - Chris Stain   Urban Nation PM7 - DainUrban Nation PM7 - El Sol 25      Urban Nation PM7 - Esteban Del Valle Urban Nation PM7 - Icy & Sot   Urban Nation PM7 - Icy & Sot   Urban Nation PM7 - Esteban Del ValleUrban Nation PM7 -NohJColey      Urban Nation PM7 - Swoon

Large crowds attended the opening to celebrate the links between New York and Berlin. Amongst the guests was  Gaia‘s Persons of Interest Fereshta Ludin discussing with curators  Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington

Urban Nation PM7

Many international artists and friends also joined in to  show their support: David Walker (UK),  Strøk (NO)REKA (AUS), Herakut (DE), MACCLAIM (DE), Vermibus (DE), Mark Rigney (UK), Aida Bragstarr (UK), Onur Dinc (CH), NeverCrew (CH), DotDotDot (NO), Schwarzmaler (CH) and Andreas Englund (SE).

Urban Nation PM7     Urban Nation PM7     Urban Nation PM7     Urban Nation PM7Urban Nation PM7       Urban Nation PM7Urban Nation PM7       Urban Nation PM7 Urban Nation PM7      Urban Nation PM7 Urban Nation PM7      Urban Nation PM7Urban Nation PM7      Urban Nation PM7Urban Nation PM7

View the full set of pics here  and full coverage on Street Art News

Persons of Interest PM/7
URBAN NATION
Bülowstraße 97
10738 Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany

 http://www.urban-nation.net