“I’ve got a restless streak that’s always left me chronically dissatisfied. I suppose it’s where my art comes from. Not belonging. Discontented. Keeping myself outside. The truth is I’ve always wanted to be happy and loved and accepted-to relax–but it never seems to quite work out. The one good thing, the one absolutely truly dependable constant in my life is painting. Whatever happens during the day, however hard life is closing in, if I’ve made something in the studio or on the street, I’m gonna be okay.” – Dan Witz

It´s rare that an artist is as well accepted as a street artist, as a traditionally painter.
For New York-based Dan Witz, who´s working on the streets since the 70´s doing artwork for galleries is not mutually exclusive street art. (more…)

Urban Interventions by Truthtag in Wroclaw, Cracow and Zielona Gora (Poland)

Beloved butterfly, when we were kids, we sung about your beauty – since we are grown up, we abstain from singing and switched to creating. We still like you so much that you´re very often involved in designers output. I guess, you were pleased about the butterfly headdresses by Alexander McQueen – those even looked coy on princess Beatrice. That you and Uma Thurman hit it off is obviously shown in Another Magazine and when it comes to butterfly-inspired jewelry, even the designers stay in the ballpark.
Putting you on walls comes out great when you have a look at Paul Villinski´s trash artwork but street-artist Pure Evil unfortunately has to bring more to not bore us away. Putting you on dresses to beat your heartbeat controlled wings might be technically interesting –  but when you go to a hot date, it´ll give you for sure a hyper-creepy touch. I´m sorry, beloved butterfly for this kind of abuse. The color changing eco lights…wmauh…we better forget about this plastic cruelty. More butterfly-inspired creations can be seen here. And now, my beloved butterfly, it´s time to intone a song to praise your beauty. Even the greatest idea, the keenest creation and the hippest technical invention can´t get close to your natural beauty.

Photos via Trendhunter

Press release:
CIRCLECULTURE GALLERY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION OF BERLIN-BASED STREET ARTIST XOOOOX: “MOLOTOV HIGH HEELS”.
OPENING: JULY 17TH 2008, 7PM, EXHIBITION: JULY 18TH UNTIL SEPTEMBER 10TH 2008

XOOOOX has been a prolific graffiti artist since the mid 1990ʼs. Early experiments with collage gradually evolved into the artistʼs signature stencil work, typically life-size figures or appropriated designer logos found predominately on the streets of Berlin and in Paris, Milan, Vienna, New York…
The exhibition will include emblematic stencil work by xoooox, as well as new collage and sculpture made from common materials such as cardboard, flea market furniture, found objects and discarded fashion magazines. A large-scale, public work, will accompany the exhibition.
XOOOOX manipulates immediately recognizable logos of upscale brands like Coco Chanel, re-contextualizing these elitist class signifiers within the inherently egalitarian space of the urban public sphere, while commenting on the visual power of branding in general. Life-sized stencils of females, conspicuously posed and styled as models often are, depict the icons of fashionʼs cult of worship and recall the work of street art legends such as Blek le Rat, Misstick and Banksy, functioning as both traditional figurative studies and ironic representations of societyʼs obsession with the superficial. Although XOOOOXʼs stenciled images are inspired by the fashion spreads seen in magazines such as Vogue and avant-garde publications like Purple, this work is not a deconstruction of couture culture. On the contrary, each stencil, created painstakingly by hand, pays homage to the art form that is couture fashion, while criticizing the massmerchandising and advertising campaigns of global retail chains. Citing Pop Art, DADA and, of course, graffiti as major influences, the artist states, “You can use the power of fashion like a personal weapon. It can act like a shield, or it can destroy you.”

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
»Inoperable Poster Show« Vienna, 2007
»Finders Keepers« Milan, 2006
»Hollywood The Remix« New York, 2005
www.xoooox.com

For further information please contact the gallery.
Circleculture Gallery, Gipsstrasse 11, 10119 Berlin Mitte, Germany
berlin@circleculture-gallery.com, www.circleculture-gallery.com

Every Christmas, my dad sorts the manifold components of our Lego empire. Three children and one dad who is crazy for building and constructing – this fact bestowed a room full of small parts made of plastics on my family. Unfortunately, the Lego isn´t really used, besides the Christmassy sorting-meditation of my dad. My brothers and me, we are grown up now, but not so much grown, that grand-children might come in sight. I wonder, if it could make sense, to abet my dad to do street art actions like Jan Vormann. At least, our neighborhood would get a colorful make-over and my dad…he would finally have a REAL reason to sort his Lego pieces every single Christmas.

The shown Lego artwork occurred in Bocchignano, a village next to Rome as part of a group project calles “20 Eventi”. German Artist Jan Vorman started his studies in Berlin and moved to St. Petersburg in 2007 to work, live and study in Russia. Last, he was presented at St. Petersburg C.A.G. Gallery with „Vo chto my igraem zavtra? With what are we playing tomorrow? “.

Photos via Jan Vormann

Perfect statement for the beginning of a new week, isn´t it?
Artwork by London based artist Makin Jan Ma.

Photo via makinfamily

“The art festival URBAN AFFAIRS is pleased to announce a large-scale exhibition featuring current positions of Contemporary Urban Art and Street Art from July 5th to August 3rd in Berlin- the global epicenter of this international art movement. Forty-two artists from nine countries, all major players in the Urban Art genre, have been invited for a three-day residency at The Friedrichshoehe, a new cultural center in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Located in a post-industrial building, this 900 sq. meter exhibition space is the ideal location for the largest and most comprehensive Urban Art exhibition in Germany to date.”

Press release by/ More infos at Circleculture.com

Unfortunately there´s no snack bar that sells French fries in that cute, artsy little paper bag.
I think – they should all do!!! Event the taste wouldn´t change, the feeling would definetifely.
Unfortunately, it´s an unique piece, shown in the spring/summer catalogue of Stefan Marx´s T-Shirt label The Lousy Livincompany. At least…visually enjoyable.

Image from Stefan Marx/The Lousy Livincompany