Civilian Exhibition at HLP

My first solo exhibition with Harlan Levey Projects was titled Civilian, and ran from November 16th to December 27th, 2017. A confluence of events afforded me some extra installation time which I used to prototype a sculptural piece that had been in the back of my mind. I think it really helped the installation and I look forward to creating more sculptural works in the future.

The front room consisted of 3, floor to ceiling, wheatpasted Collisions images. Each of these images augmented which brought you into the public where so much of my work takes place or originates. Below you were 22 bus shelter advertisements taken from the streets of Brussels over the course of a week. The advertisement was for Prima Donna, a women's lingerie company.

In the next room were 4 Labor pieces, 1 large Titan Smash piece, and the aforementioned sculpture which I titled 115 Fluorescent Tubes. Each of these pieces required me to steal advertising infrastructure. The most subtle works were the Labor series which start with me taking the plexiglass that normally lies behind outdoor advertising and which diffuses the fluorescent lights into an even illumination. These pieces of plexiglass are meticulously cleaned and then sanded to take on the appearance of soft marble. I then also take selected advertisements and paint out all of the text leaving only the image or product behind. The sanded plexiglass sheets are then placed on top of the image, one after another, until the image is almost illegible, leaving only the faintest trace for you to decipher.

In contrast to that work was the Titan Smash work which is made by stealing the Titan signs which adorn most NYC phonebooths to label to company who owns the booth. These signs are then smashed, reassembled, and cased in resin so that the sharp edges of the signs protrude from the frames. With all five parts, the piece stood a little over 8' x 4'.

And last was the prototype work that I created on site by removing 115 fluorescent lights from over 40 outdoor advertising locations around Brussels. Over the course of 3 days I carefully walked circles out from the gallery and back along a different path collecting bulbs along the way. Placed on a small stand and middle column that held the ballasts and wiring, the lights were wrapped in black furniture bands and simply stood upright in the gallery. The inner 12 bulbs were illuminated so that the bundle glowed from within.

For me the back room, and in particular the 115 fluorescent light's sculpture excited me as an artist. Had I made the sculpture using purchased materials, it would have been a nice lamp, but having taken the lights without permission I had transformed them into objects that could warrant conversation and dialogue. It was like small alchemy and one of the first pieces that I think is truly whole.

Read a review of the exhibition [HERE]

Collisions Exhibition June 15th 6-9PM Openwalls Gallery

I am very happy to announce that I will be exhibiting the entire Collisions series on June 15th at Openwalls Gallery in Berlin. This ongoing series has been in the making for the past 2 years and includes 15 photographs, each with an augmented reality component. Along side the photographs there will be a small a small amount of ephemera and a beautifully conceived essay by Thomas Dekeyser. Please join us between 6-9pm for the opening reception.

 Collisions: Underground, 2016

 Collisions: Carry On, 2017

New Work for Two Upcoming Group Shows

A few years ago I was photographed by Søren Solkær in Norway for the Surface project. He set out to document the street art and graffiti artists that have helped make the genre such an important part of the art world, and came away with hundreds of portraits of some of its most influential characters. I was proud to be one of them, and even more proud to be showing with a select few at two upcoming exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. 

The first is exhibition opens tonight at Subliminal Projects, 1331 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles. For this exhibition, Søren asked the participating artists to integrate the original portrait he took of us into a new piece for the show. I chose to break Søren's image into two so that I could install each piece separately in a phonebooth. Once installed, each phonebooth was photographed to produce the framed diptych above. 

The second exhibition opens on May 2nd at the Allouche Gallery, 115 Spring street, NYC. For this show, the gallery wanted each participating artist to work in a 3'x3' format. Because my gallery work usually happens in stolen ad frames, 3'x3' doesn't make a lot of sense to me and so I chose to take the opportunity to do a material study built around one of my favorite objects these days, the JCDHEX Public Access key.

PublicAdCampaign at the 2012 Architecture Biennale

A while back we told you that PublicAdCampaign would be a part of the American Pavilion for the 2012 Architecture Biennale in Venice. Sure enough here is a picture of the NYSAT project amongst over a hundred other creative activism projects.

NuART 2012 - PublicAdCampaign Wrap Up

I just got back from NuART 2012 a few days ago and had an amazing time. First, my immense gratitude goes out to the dedicated team which put on such a rich and inspiring event. Those names include Martyn Reed, Marte Danielsen Jolbo, Irene Ostbo, Sesella Knutsvik, GT Aamdal, and Kristel Talv. 

During my stay I was asked to do three things in no particular order of importance, create gallery work for the opening exhibition, do some sort of ad takeover in Stavanger, and give a talk for the NuART plus program. 

I began by installing two light boxes which I had previously shipped over a few weeks before. These light boxes are where my gallery work is going these days and involve an advertising frame, a used book, some LED lighting and a lot of drawing with pencil charcoal and spray. Knowing the work would be in a long "tunnel", I opted for two images which had religious undertones, hoping to create an alter effect at the end. Sharing the room with Ben Eine, I was able to keep the room dark and produce the affect I was hoping for by accompanying the two pieces with a video at floor height of how I got the frames, so that viewers had to bend down in front of the two women. I was pleasantly with the way the light boxes appeared to float in space. I apologize for the photos as these pieces are incredibly hard to photograph.

photo by Ian Cox

On wednesday evening 9-26-12 I installed a large ad takeover project of my own work. This takeover targeted the downtown Stavanger city center and included 30 freestanding and bus shelter ads as well as 3 street level billboards. I concentrated the work as tightly as I could hoping the repetition would clue people in to the detournement. Sure enough Mobstr, one of the other artists involved, told me that driving through downtown the repetitive nature of the image made him realize just how much advertising is on our streets, even in a small town like Stavanger.

Sadly, with an article in the local paper appearing the next morning, all of the bus shelter and freestanding ads were removed by 9am thursday morning. Unmentioned in the news article, the billboards stayed up. I was pretty upset about the work being removed so quickly because I was hoping to point out the pieces to participants in a street art walking tour that RJ Rushmore and I did thursday afternoon. In my anger, that same evening I decided to turn all of the advertisements that replaced my work upside down as a way of showing my unhappiness to JC Decaux. This little gem, plus my mention on facebook that I would be staying for another week or two to continue my work, prompted a call from JC Decaux. Basically they were calling to see if I would continue to make work for them and would they have to continue to remove my work or turn back around the advertising that replaced it. What I find interesting, and typical, is that they did not call the police despite being very aware of who was responsible for the civil disobedience. Unable to confront my transgressions for what they are, or maybe just unwilling, the typical industry response is to lay low. Open public discussion of the issue is the last thing they want as this discussion might actually lead to their demise. Maybe I just need to make them more mad!

The last part of my participation was in NuART Plus which was a first at this years event. The Plus program attempted to tackle some of the issues raised by street art and urban interventionist tactics, while talking directly to the community instead of amongst ourselves. My participation included a talk called Interrogating Utopia: Conscientious Curation of our Shared Public Spaces. All in all I felt it was well received and I will post the video of my talk as soon as it is available. I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout at the Plus event which included city planners, council members, community activists and others from the community that might not engage street art as part of properly functioning cities. 

You can see more of my street work from NuART 2012 [HERE]

Spontaneous Interventions at the 2012 Architecture Bienalle

I am excited to finally announce PublicAdCampaign's participation in the 2012 Spontaneous Interventions Exhibition at the Venice Bienalle for Architecture. Having just received the list of participating projects it seems we are in amazing company with projects that have inspired us and motivated us to continue our unique brand of urban activism. A full list of participating projects can be found at the spontaneous Interventions website [HERE]

A big thank you to the Institute for Urban Design

"Spontaneous Interventions captures one of the most compelling contemporary urban trends, wherein individuals are taking it upon themselves to create projects that expand the amenities, comfort, functionality, inclusiveness, safety, and sustainability of cities. From parklets to community farms, guerrilla bike lanes to urban repair squads, outdoor living rooms to pop-up markets, sharing networks, and temporary architecture, Spontaneous Interventions highlights viable citizen-led alternatives to traditional top-down urban revitalization tactics. Together, these projects offer an opportunity to examine the history of the American city, painting a critical and dynamic portrait of its most pressing issues today and a vision of its future. At heart, Spontaneous Interventions is a reflection of country’s complex attitudes towards civic participation, social justice, and the built environment."

Full Press Release [HERE]

Baggage, The Suitcase show

A few weeks ago, Jeff Stark invited me to take part in Baggage, The Suitcase show, which was part of a larger one night art/theatre performance at the ICA in Boston called The Experiment. The general premise was put an art object into peoples hands and let them have an experience with that object which defies the normal art object/viewer relationship. Guests were greeted by a bellhop who handed out suitcases which they could take to private viewing rooms. Once alone you were given as much time as you wanted with the artwork, returning it at your own discretion. Jeff's work rides a fine line between theatre, art, and interactive performance and I was honored to be a part of his larger vision. Below is a view inside my suitcase which held all of the tools you need to procure your own NYC phonebooth along with a video for inspiration.

PosterBoy Panel Discussion at Real Art Ways

Tomorrow, Real Art Ways will host a panel discussion relating to Posterboy's Street Alchemy 2.0 exhibition. Im gonna travel up to get a look at the show and to engage what is sure to be an interesting conversation.

Poster Boy Panel Discussion:

Real Art Ways will present a panel discussion to address the multiple and wide-ranging topics that have arisen from Poster Boy: Street Alchemy 2.0. Some of the topics include artist’s rights and freedom of expression, legal issues surrounding this work, the transgressive nature of new art and the value of billboards in advertising and society:

Panelists will include:
Chris Knopf, CEO of Mintz & Hoke Communications Group, a leading marketing agency
Thomas Menard, attorney specializing in intellectual property litigation at Alix, Yale & Ristas, LLP
Dr. Randy Jacobs, Associate Professor of Communications at the University of Hartford, who teaches advertising
Hrag Vartanian, Editor and Founder of the online journal Hyperallergic and an expert on street art
A member of the Poster Boy collective will also participate

Moderator:
Marela Zacarias, artist and muralist

About the panelists and moderator
Moderator - Marela Zacarias, artist
Zacarias has painted more than thirty large public murals in the United States. Mexico and Guatemala. She was an Artist-in-Residence for the academic year ‘09-’10 at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where she completed a mural to be part of the William Benton Museum of Art collection. Her work is currently part of the 2011 S-Files Biennial at Museo del Barrio in East Harlem, NY. She made a 30ft long site-specific sculptural painting at the lobby of the museum. You can see a short video about this piece here.

Panelists -
Dr. Randy Jacobs, Associate Professor of Communications
University of Hartford
Dr. Jacobs teaches advertising in the University of Hartford’s School of Communication. Dr. Jacobs’ interests span the social, economic and ethical implications of advertising and his most recent research looks at the effects of military advertising on enlistment decisions. Dr. Jacobs earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Advertising from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Communication from Ohio State University.

Hrag Vartanian, Editor/Founder
Hyperallergic, blogazine and online forum
Vartanian is editor of Hyperallergic. His work has appeared in the Art21 blog, Brooklyn Rail, NYFA’s Current and "Huffington Post. He serves on the board of the Triangle Arts Association, he volunteers on numerous educational committees and he blogs at HragV.com. He's a Brooklyn-based writer, editor and art critic who has written extensively about street art, performance art, the internet and issues of multiculturalism. He maintains a tumblelog notebook, called A Brooklyn Art Critic’s Notebook.

Chris Knopf, CEO
Mintz & Hoke Communications Group
Knopf is a principal in Mintz & Hoke, a marketing communications agency in Avon, CT serving B2B and consumer clients. In a long career, he has won top creative awards in national and New England competitions. Knopf is also a published novelist, cabinet-maker and rock musician when he can steal the time.

Thomas Menard, Attorney
Alix, Yale & Ristas, LLP
Menard is a proud graduate of Central Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. As a partner in the Hartford-based intellectual property (IP) law firm of Alix, Yale & Ristas, LLP, Tom counsels clients regarding patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, IP related business disputes and IP litigation. The firm represents clients ranging from Connecticut-based manufacturers, to universities, entrepreneurs and a wide range of international clients through an international network of IP law firms. During his twelve years of IP practice, Menard has represented clients in state and federal courts in Connecticut and other U.S. jurisdictions. Menard believes that in-depth knowledge of the client’s business and competitive environment are essential to the strategic allocation of legal services where they will provide the greatest benefit.

REAL ART WAYS
56 Arbor St
Hartford, CT 06106

info@realartways.org
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012 | 7.30 PM

http://www.realartways.org/events.htm

For and Against The Truth Exhibition in Perth Western Australia

I am extremely excited to be a part of the upcoming For and Against the Truth group exhibition in Perth Australia opening on October 20th. Below are the three pieces I made for the show. Each is 26x50 inches and is made from used books, spray paint, ink and pencil. The shows theme, For and Against the Truth, asked artists to interpret three images of themselves, the truth as others see it, the truth as you see it and the more likely combined truth that mixes the two. Instead of myself, I focused on PublicAdCampaign and used three books for these pieces whose topics represent the spectrum of political realities in which PublicAdCampaign operates. The first is The Merchant Bankers, the second Communism: A Historical Narrative, and the last, Growing Up Absurd. I very much enjoyed giving importance to the books I chose to use and will most likely continue this in upcoming works.

Pantheon - A History of Art From the Streets of NYC

Recently I was asked to be involved in the upcoming Pantheon Exhibition. While street art and graffiti histories are always suspect to me, Pantheon doesn't bill itself as "the" history but rather "a" history. The exhibition opens in April with a gallery show as well as a catalog with interviews and imagery intent on carving out a narrative for this long standing tradition of unauthorized public space usage. I look forward to seeing this project take shape and will post more information as it becomes available.

35 graffiti writers and street artists will unite to reclaim the former Donnell Library as a repository of visual information on the growing world-wide phenomenon of street art. This exhibition will present an art historical timeline that is a part of New York City's unique legacy. The artistic contribution of these cultural catalysts and preservationists from the 70's to the new millennium will address the ever-changing urban landscape and alternative modes of producing art in the streets. Pantheon Website.

Well Hung and Dystopia Filter-Upcoming Group Shows

I'm in two group shows coming up on March 5th. While both exhibitions have work that previously hung in Philadelphia, the Chelsea exhibition has a new lightbox I've been working on that I'm quite happy with. The Chelsea exhibition will also help raise funds for the fantastic FreeArts program. Please come out to the opening receptions if you have the time. Both shows have some fantastic work by a wide range of artistic talents.

Recent PosterBoy Show

I can't believe it took this long to review the most recent PosterBoy, Aakash Nihilani, Ibrahim Ahmed III show at the Jajo Gallery In Newark, but I wanted to see if my initial reaction changed with a bit of time to think. It didn't. Similarly to his last show at Eastern-District, PosterBoy's transformation of the gallery space doesn't address the underlying advertising and public space issues his work in public so effortlessly tackles. In this recent show you might not even know that the materials were in fact stolen billboards if you weren't aware of his process because the billboards he chose were obscure New Jersey based rug retailers. On top of this Aakash's work looses its spatial relationships, merely becoming a way to hold PosterBoy's billboards to the wall, albeit in an artistic fashion. I thought to myself, even more than most street art, this work just doesn't work in a gallery setting.

Nonetheless, I found myself out at Jajo enjoying myself and rabble rousing with an interesting crowd of people, talking about street art, graffiti, and outdoor advertising's monopolization of our collective visual space. This was an unsuccessful gallery exhibition but a successful event which reinforced an open dialogue about important activist issues that are often left out of gallery conversations surrounding street work.

This fact begged me to rethink what I expected, or wanted from a gallery exhibition of street art and public space activist projects. Most importantly, whether the work exists on the street or within four white walls, I want the work to create conversation about whose ideas belong in the public and how as a public our communications are often illegal and transgressive. Whether this happens on the street or within a gallery isn't the issue, it just has to happen for the work to hold water. And in fact this kind of conversation was well represented the opening night. I just don't know if it needed to be up for a full month.