Bold and graphic, this piece by Logo works a lot like, well, a logo. The simple combination of letters and words carry a complicated message — the struggles the residents of Oakland, not just graffiti writers, deal with regarding police brutality.
Speaking of which, watch this new video of the testimony of someone arrested at Occupy Oakland:
This black and white wheatpaste by Turnip gives the artist’s signature image a clean, minimalist feel. Who knew a root/vegetable could look so sharp. Turnip turns up in different sizes and colors, but the monochromatic rendering draws attention to the elegance of the design.
Boarded up and abandoned, this house in West Oakland has a rather sad appearance. It’s horrible how many houses are foreclosed and how many people are evicted from their homes in the East Bay, so the work of art pasted to the house’s facade makes an especially powerful statement. The beached whale in this wheatpaste sheds tears of desperation; it’s lost, removed from its natural surroundings. A glimmer of beauty amid the bleakness, the artwork draws attention to similarly displaced people who, too, have lost their homes.
M4M’s work has been cropping up here and there around the East Bay; the hasty style the naked figures are painted in is reminiscent of David Choe or the Australian graffiti artist Lister. M4M’s work that I’ve seen is usually executed with monochromatic, dripping paint. The writhing, twisted limbs of the figures have a similar spontaneous effect, as if they’re tumbling in perpetual motion. The geometric style of SANRI’s futuristic pharaoh bird in between the two naked dudes makes for an interesting contrast on the wall.
These screen printed posters of a pallid teen by Impetus have been spotted around Berkeley lately. Luckily I got this shot earlier, because since then they have all been destroyed with angry scratch marks. The gold, purple and black color combination and the Ben-Day dot texture refer the work back to Pop art, which seems appropriate since the piece was probably silk screened. I can’t say I am a huge fan of the subject’s 2003-era emo haircut (I don’t mean to hate but I just can’t endorse that fashion choice), but this piece’s clean execution makes it a pleasure to look at nonetheless.
In the early morning before the shops open and civilization begins its routine hum, this bear’s muzzle can be seen roaring in downtown San Francisco. Painted with haphazard brushstrokes, the multicolored figure looks as if it’s dripping with liquid, as if the bear just emerged from a muddy jungle. I don’t recall this artist’s name but I definitely saw his work in the “Urban Osmosis” show last year at LoPo and Space Galleries. Drop me a line if you know who this is.
UPDATE: It’s by Chad Hasegawa, thanks Get Up for the info.
Small and unassuming, this handprinted octopus sticker makes a colorful statement despite its size. The octopus character’s tired eyes cast an apathetic gaze, as if the lil guy is tired of all this shit. The sticker appears to be a linocut print; the different colors add to the simple design.
Walking around in the Mission on a sunny afternoon, I was happy to see these paste-ups by Hugh Leeman and Oakland’s Political Gridlock. Though Hugh’s photorealistic portraits contrast with PG’s more cartoony style, the two artists use their art to raise awareness for social problems perpetuated by the machine of capitalism — homelessness and the media as a vehicle for right-wing propaganda. The pieces seem to the latest additions to an ever-evolving wall of paste-ups.
A wanderer of the night and an expert in all things cute, Nadya Voynovskaya pastes rats who love amputated human fingers. Though scary to some, the rats speak of an intimate relationship between people and their most prized possessions. Sometimes those possessions can be grotesque to others, but they are beautiful to their beholders nonetheless. Check Nadya in “bARTering,” where she’ll have some ratty surprises for y’all.
Found side by side, these two large throw-ups by GATS and Attica make a perfect pair. The hand and the face are the only markers of identity revealed of these characters, shrouding them in a sense of mystery.
GATS and Attica both have prints going up in the upcoming art show “bARTering”, more info on the “Art shows” tab of this site.
