Hustler of Culture

Surry Hills - Mike O'Meally "20 Years of Skate Photography" (02.21.13 - 02.24.13)

LA - Museums Free-For-All (01.26.13 - 01.27.13)

More information: http://www.museumsla.org/news.asp

MOCAtv's The Underbelly Project - Walk Through

I hope to see this artwork someday. From MOCAtv:

In 2009 the Underbelly Project project began four stories underneath the skin of New York.

For 100 years, a massive subway station sat unfinished, unused, undiscovered.

Over the course of a year, artists were secretly escorted into that station to leave their creative mark.

Unobstructed by the pressures of commercial sales, email or daily routines, each artist painted for one full night.

The original entrance has since been removed and darkness has reclaimed the station. It has become an elusive pirate treasure of contemporary art.

The Underbelly Project

The Brazilian Hour and More!

Fans of Brazilian culture! There's lots of exciting news to share with you:

In anticipation of Brazil's iconic singer-guitarist Gilberto Gil's concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA tomorrow, hear a new interview with the Grammy-winning godfather of the Tropicália movement on Sergio Mielniczenko's radio show, Brazilian Hour (heard locally in LA every Saturday and Sunday on KXLU 88.9FM from 9:00 to 10:00am). Just recorded last week, the interview includes Gil talking specifically about this concert and the music he will perform.

KCET's "Arrival Stories" weekly column/blog featured Sergio Mielniczenko, the host/producer of the Brazilian Hour, just yesterday here.  The engaging story is subtitled, "It Wasn't Like This in São Paulo."

Broadcasting since 1978, check out the Brazilian Hour in any of these 5 languages - English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Mandarin - on its new site, which just launched on September 7th and soon through its new app for iPhone/iPad/Android.

For a chance to attend Brazilian legend Gilberto Gil's show at Walt Disney Concert Hall tomorrow, leave a comment with your favorite Gilberto Gil album or song. A random winner will be picked today, at 5 pm PST, thanks!

Subscribe to MOCAtv + Join MOCA Los Angeles

If you subscribe to MOCAtv, you will receive a FREE three month museum membership to MOCA Los Angeles. LA peeps, don't sleep on this!

In Conversation: Jeffrey Deitch and Lawrence Rinder on Barry McGee

Fascinating talk. Jeffrey Deitch tells his story of his budding relationship with contemporary, street and folk artists, Barry McGee. He also shares his thoughts on street art. I especially love this quote, "I've worked with hundreds of artists. Some of the great artists, but I don't have any hesitation in saying of all the artists I've worked with, it's Barry who's my favorite. And... because it's not just working with the art, working with the ideas. It's Barry's humanity. It's the phenomenal circle of other artists, musicians, other creative people who he brings with him. So... Barry changed my life. I think a lot of people who follow Barry's work can say the same thing."

More:

Watch BAM/PFA Director Lawrence Rinder and MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch as they talk about Barry McGee's work in the context of international street art. Deitch presented groundbreaking installations by McGee at his Deitch Projects gallery in New York. Rinder is co-curator of Barry McGee, a major midcareer retrospective of the San Francisco-based artist, on view at BAM/PFA from August 24 to December 9, 2102.

MOCAtv is Live!

MOCA has launched the first and only dedicated contemporary art channel to be part of YouTube Original Channels:

The Museum of Contemporary Art presents MOCAtv, a new contemporary art video channel for the expanding, international, online audience interested in visual culture. Developed as a digital extension of the museum’s education and exhibition programming, MOCAtv is the first and only dedicated art channel to be part of YouTube’s original channels announced October 2011, and is part of YouTube Education, a collection of more than 700,000 videos on a wide range of educational topics from math to science, history to geography. Views of educational content on YouTube more than doubled during 2011 and in just the last year, the number of subscribers to YouTube’s educational channels also more than doubled. MOCAtv will add curated and original videos to inform, educate and engage this global, interactive audience about contemporary art and its intersection with film, video, music, performance, dance, music, comedy, and more.

The YouTube Curated By Chris Johanson clip is one of many videos I'm excited about. So stoked for the upcoming programming.Tune in... art is for everyone, especially you!

"A Love Letter For You" by Joey Garfield with ESPO/Stephen Powers

My pal, Joey's film, A LOVE LETTER FOR YOU launches today! Starring the talented and funny as fuck street artist Stephen ESPO Powers, the documentary chronicles Powersʼ Love Letter Project for the Mural Arts Program in West Philadelphia. I've seen project pictures online for years. Now, I am so excited to download and watch the film. I hope you are too!

Support the arts! Support friends! A Love Letter For You is now available on iTunes.

Wall Writers: Graffiti in its Innocence

Roger Gastman's working on a film. I put my money where my mouth is and supported it. Why? Because I believe Wall Writers: Graffiti in its Innocence is an important movie that needs to be made. Here's what the art impresario had to say about it:

Wall Writers: Graffiti in its Innocence, 1967-1972. When art became a democracy and self-promotion became an art.

I never set out to make this documentary. I was doing research for a book I put out last year “The History of American Graffiti” and I became fascinated with the true beginnings of modern graffiti. So many graffiti writers my co-author and I talked to claimed they were the first to do it. That they did “this in 1969” or what ever year. If you did the math to how old they were the year they were claiming it just wasn't true. I set out to find the truth. 

Once I started digging up these early graffiti writers in New York City and Philadelphia, many who had not been talked to or had thought about graffiti in over 30 years I figured I better film them! Who knows if they will disappear again or not want to talk about graffiti again! The more people I interviewed and filmed the more I started to realize we had something special. A true “moment in time” that told the history of modern graffiti, something that has become the worlds fastest growing art movement. 

Over 20 people were interviewed to make the film, some of them include: TAKI183, COCO144, SNAKE1, PHIL T GREEK, SJK 171, MIKE 171, WICKED GARY, ROCKY 184, HENRY 161, COWBOY, UNDERTAKER ASH, CORNBREAD, KOOL KLEPTO KID, JOE 182, THE JOKER, LAZAR, BAMA and more. 

We turned over every rock we could. Looked through every archive you could think of and we dug up some amazing photos and archive footage to help tell the story. FREEDOM aka Chris Pape helped produce and write the film, Ikey Owens (The Mars Volta is one of the many bands he has been a part of) came on and did the score. One of my art icons and amazing filmmaker John Waters did the voice over! 

We have a 58 minute near finished film that I personally think is awesome and so do the people that have seen it. I have invested countless time and more money then I would care to admit into this project. Now I ask for assistance in getting it out there to the world. I need to acquire the rights too much of the archival footage and cover the costs of post production. Also I would like to do a weekend showing of the film in NY and LA before Wall Writers goes out for general distribution. 

If you are a fan of graffiti, street art or subculture in general this is an educational film you must see. Please help make it a reality. It’s so close!

The Beat Junkies - For the Record Trailer

The Beat Junkies - For the Record Trailer from LRG on Vimeo.

FINALLY!!!! Influential is an understatement. But you already know that if you're watching this.

From LRG:

There's no denying that the Beat Junkies are one of the most influential DJ crews ever assembled. With collaborations with some of the most defining acts and individuals in a variety of genres, it's only right to celebrate the twenty-years since the crew emerged from the Los Angeles and Bay Area underground. LRG is pleased to announce For the Record -a short-form documentary that places a needed spotlight on the Beat Junkie's influence and progression lent towards hip-hop and DJ culture. In addition, an LRG x World Famous Beat Junkies Tee and Limited New Era Snapback will be available when the Beat Junkies kick off their world tour which gets started Saturday, June 30 at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. For now, let the teaser trailer serve as a warmup for the July 2 release date of For the Record.

Hi, It's Daniel!

I had lunch with inspirational, super-friendly, culture journalist Daniel Rolnik. We scarfed down Swingers-burgers between mouthfuls of art and rock talk. This photo is an accurate representation of how charming and fun he is. I hope you are lucky enough to hear, "Hi, I'm Daniel" someday too!

Hello, Girl Crush Readers!

Hey there everybody! I wanted to say hola to all my new Girl Crush readers. And thanks again to Wendy Withers for the super fun interview! I puffy heart sticker all of you, welcome again!

Caturday with Daniel Lismore

Beautiful Daniel Lismore with my pretty kitty by Albert Reyes. American Vogue named Daniel “London's most outrageous dresser". This is what he wore on hump day. C'est chic!

LA - Ragamala Dance (04.28.12)

Ragamala Dance
April 28, 2012
W.M. KECK CHILDREN'S AMPHITHEATRE, WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
 
Ragamala Dance
Ragamala Dance performs Sacred Earth fusing two rich and ancient Indian visual art traditions - Warli mud paintings and Kolam rice flour drawings -- with Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of Southern India. The choreography invokes a deep connection to the Earth, celebrating the on-going, ever-renewing cycle of life.

LA - Vans Syndicate Presents "Twenty" (04.14.12 - 04.19.12)

LA - "Clocked In" (04.06.12)

Video: LEGO GRAFFITI

Yes! I'd like to see the other submissions for this class project. [Hat tip to Frank 151]

Lego Graffiti

Stop Motion, Art Class Project
Song: Skream ft. Cluekid - Sandsnake

Thank you, Steven Harrington!

Half a year ago while I was flying alone cross country with my then two year old daughter Lulu, a TSA officer told me to remove my Steven Harrington x Arkitip scarf and put it in a basket to be scanned. I did. And then I walked through security and proceeded to pick up all my stuff. Kid. Boarding passes. Keys. Wallet. Phone. Got it.

It wasn't until I arrived at the Gate that I realized, my favorite scarf was missing. Where had it gone? Backtracking recent events, it was soon clear to me that the TSA agent never put my basket through the x-ray machine; instead placing the basket on top of the conveyer belt metal casing. How do I know? I always watch my belongings travel safely to the other side of security before walking across the metal detectors. And my scarf was never on the conveyer belt. Sad, I boarded my flight and figured the scarf was lost and gone forever.

My pal Trevor is friends with Steven Harrington. Yesterday I recounted how I lost my favorite scarf to him. Trevor pinged Steven and today the scarf magically reappeard at my work. Exactly as I remembered it. It even smelled the same!

THANK YOU, Trevor. And THANK YOU, Steven! I am super happy to add the scarf back into my wardrobe. So happy -- I put it on right away and Trevor snapped the shot above for me. You guys rule. And believe me, the next time someone asks me to take it off, I'm not going to take my eye off of it!

BEGINNINGS by JR

French artist JR was busy posting up new vids on YouTube this week. Here's another clip documenting his early years from 2000 - 2003. 

Ondatrópica by B+ (Day 1) in OndaTropica

Beautiful images from my old pal, B+ aka Brian Cross. He says, "Here's what I'm up to... I can't describe how heavy this is ...... maybe the photos will help." More about B+'s new work:

El punto de vista fotografico de Brian Cross (B+) en las Grabaciones de Ondatrópica desde los estudios de Discos Fuentes en Medellín.

Información completa en:
ondatropica.com, facebook.com/ondatropica, twitter.com/ondatropica

translation:

The photographic view of Brian Cross (B +) in Ondatrópica recordings from studies in Medellin Discos Fuentes.

Complete information at:
ondatropica.com, facebook.com / ondatropica, twitter.com / ondatropica

I can't wait to experience/hear/see the finished project someday!