Museum of Graffiti, the world’s first Museum dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of graffiti art, is announcing today the opening of its first pop-up ever in Austin, Texas from March 10 to March 28. Taking over the space at 809 E 6th Street, the Austin pop-up will be home to an exhibition entitled “The Art of Hip Hop,” that will celebrate the 50 year anniversary of Hip Hop by presenting the works of the photographers, album cover artists, logo designers, and graffiti artists who are responsible for the visual identity of the genre.
To celebrate the opening, the Museum will open its back patio from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12 to host three incredible days of concerts, live graffiti art demonstrations, a Champion apparel customization lab, merchandise drops, and panel discussions inside the Mi Campo Artists Lounge. The Museum’s renowned gift shop will also be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Guests can expect to see the work of famed photographers Janette Beckman, Mike Miller, Henry Chalfant, Matt Doyle, Lisa Leone, Joe Conzo, and Daniel Hastings, alongside Hip Hop album covers designed by Cey Adams, Eric Haze, Slick, Kaws, and more. Visitors can also expect to see works by other graffiti legends like Ces, Doze Green, Kaves, Fab 5 Freddy, Rammellzee, Dr. Daks, Shiro, Ras Terms. Original graffiti paintings on canvas and sculptures from the past 50 years will also be available for purchase within the exhibit.
The Museum of Graffiti is excited to announce a new exhibit curated by the German art duo know as Layer Cake (Patrick Hartl and Christian “C100” Hundertmark). In the group exhibition, The Versus Project 3, all the canvases on display began in their studio until they were then sent unfinished to other artists scattered around the world. The other artists completed the unfinished paintings without discussing the details of the work with Hartl and Hundertmark, thus breaking one of the most important rules of graffiti: Never paint over the work of other writers.
In some cases, this process was repeated several times, and occasionally the development could take up to two years. In this creative, non-verbal dialogue, painterly mosaics of different ideas, styles and working methods were thus created in an associative manner. While the paintings crossed national borders and oceans, the artists were confronted with their own inner boundaries.
The project involves artists with different styles and techniques who changed the original painting, layer by layer, until a joint artwork was created. The unique style of each artist can be seen in each of the artworks. The result is a fascinating collective experiment that spurs an artistic dialogue and examines the exploration of the intersection between graffiti and contemporary art.
All participants in this project are united by their passion and strong connection to style writing, street art and graffiti. Some of the artists include Akue, Raws, Flying Förtress, Various & Gould, Bond Truluv, Mad C and Hera, each of whom are from various generations, countries, and continents.
Hartl and Hundertmark have been experimenting with the fusion of their styles since 2015. Patrick’s writing elements are infused and overlaid with Christian’s hard-edged floating fields. This creates deep spatial variations on type and line, color field and occlusion. The images are not planned, they happen. Sweet, crunchy and layered fittingly, the collaborators called themselves Layer Cake: a cake with a rich filling.
“Working on The Versus Project represents a broadening of our artistic horizons for us as well as for the guest artists. Normally, as an artist, you start with a pristine white surface and not with another artist’s work which is sometimes very colorful and expressive. One faces the challenge of painting over parts of another’s work or incorporating them into one‘s own work. The certainty that we, as Layer Cake, will finally intervene in the painting and again cover over parts of what the guest artist has painted forces the guest artist to relinquish final and sole control. The project and the collaboration open new horizons and shows new ways to interpret the piece. Through the project, works have been created that would never have existed otherwise, whether by an artist collective or as a solo artist.”
One of the most infamous graffiti artists of the 20th century is celebrating his 53rd born day today, and he goes by the name of COPE2, founder of the world-famous KINGS DESTROY crew.
Born Fernando Carlo on this date in 1968 in the Bronx, New York, COPE2 began his illustrious graff career in 1985, during the height of the crack era in the Kingsbridge section of his home borough. He picked up his throw up from graffiti bad guy CAP ONE MPC and the rest is history.
COPE’s work can now be found internationally in art galleries for tens of thousands of dollars, but with the game deeply embedded in his heart, you can still find some of his work somewhere in the Rotten Apple rockin’ on the walls.
Happy born day to COPE from the entire Mind Squad!
Louis Vuitton is rolling out ready-to-wear, leather goods, accessories and perfumes in collaboration with 93 year-old fine artist, Yayoi Kusama. The collaboration will be accompanied by carefully curated campaigns and a host of high-profile activations.
Since the initial announcement of this collaboration, there has been quick progress in getting consumers excited. Last May, Nicolas Ghesquière, the brand’s artistic director of women’s collections, accessorized some of his cruise 2023 outfits with polka-dot handbags. A Tokyo takeover followed at the Tokyo Tower, Zojoji Temple and Tokyo station where a combination of physical installations and augmented reality activations got buzz going. Further excitement of this drop was reflected by an Instagram post of the anamorphic billboard Vuitton installed in Tokyo’s swarming Shinjuku district that scored more than 10 million views. It shows Kusama peering out from a decorated Vuitton trunk with animated fruit friends.
Delphine Arnault, Vuitton’s executive vice president said, “One of the aspects of her [Kusama] work is happiness, and we thought it would be really refreshing after the pandemic to have the worlds of Vuitton and the world of Kusama meet again.”
One thing is crystal clear after the success of this partnership in 2012 between the luxury giant and artist. They share an obsession with perfection in concept, execution and craft. The new collection encompasses Kusama’s “infinity dots” and metal dots, first introduced in 1966, alongside floral and pumpkin motifs. It took the Vuitton team countless trials to achieve the desired effect of seamless floating dots that resemble wet paint.
Steven Meisel’s images of Gisele Bündchen, Liya Kebede, Devon Aoki, Christy Turlington, Anok Yai and other famous models are set to release on Dec. 26 in Japanese fashion magazines. The pre-launch of products will drop on January 1 in Japan and China. All offerings should be available worldwide in all 460 LV stores on January 6.
On this date in 1958, internationally renowned graffiti legend Jeff Brown, better known as KASE 2(or CASE 2) was born in Harlem, New York. KASE 2 is one of the pioneers of the art form known as graffiti that was birthed and popularized in the streets of the South Bronx. KASE would’ve been 64 years old if he were still alive.
The self proclaimed “King of Style” began his bombing career in the early 70s, having completed his first handball court piece in 1973. Even though KASE only had one arm due to a subway accident when he was only 10, the southpaw still managed to complete over 100 pieces on the NYC subway system before 1980. He’s also appeared in the 1982 graff culture flick Wild Style alongside graff king DEZ aka the late DJ Kay Slay.
KASE passed away on August 15, 2011 from complications due to lung cancer, but his work and artistic influence lives on in today’s graff artists who will forever recognize KASE as a true legend of the game.
Michelob ULTRA and the NBA unveiled the 2022-2023 Michelob ULTRA NBA Team Cans at Art Basel. The 19 limited edition cans are created by six artists and highlight the latest exciting NBA season.
To highlight the new cans, Michelob Ultra hit Miami for the annual intersection of sports, tech, and culture. For a pop-up experience, fans were bridged with the biggest sports and entertainment stars to celebrate basketball and beer.
“Michelob ULTRA is proud to partner with the NBA to bring fans a new way to support their favorite team and enjoy the game they love,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Marketing, Michelob ULTRA. “As the beer brand known for superior enjoyment, the Michelob ULTRA NBA Team Cans represent fans’ joy and passion for their teams. We’re excited to bring this year’s Team Cans to life with a first-ever digital art experience and remind fans everywhere: no matter who you root for, it’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”
The collection is on its way to stands across the nation. Still, at the pop-up experience, fans could see each can and also experience a headlining performance by 21 Savage and a set by DJ Irie of the Miami HEAT home experience.
Additionally, fans could see NBA and Miami HEAT legends Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton compete with WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwuimike and NBA Skills and celebrity trainer Chris Brickley in the Michelob ULTRA Courtside Countdown Challenge. The challenge was played on an interactive LED court where you can pick your team to represent in a shooting case that illuminates the newly released can art on the court for all to say.
The cans are created by six dynamic artists who showcase their style and represent each city’s pride, joy, and culture. Those artists are Jacob Rochester, Chuck Anderson, Bradley Ward, Josanna Torrocha, Eric Elms, and BigShot Robot.
Rochester was at the helm of the cans for the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami HEAT, Dallas Mavericks, and Orlando Magic. Anderson represented the 1998 NBA Finals matchup of the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, bringing in bold and intense designs to these two staple NBA franchises. Rochester infuses a lo-fi analog approach with collaged and scanned imagery in his creation.
Ward represented his hometown and made us”e “Clutch City” on full display, but he also took his talents to neighboring New Orleans, evoking the midnight blue, red, gold, and white hues into the Pelicans team can. Holding down the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers is Josanna Torrocha, who infuses currency’s role in basketball to create the designs.
Eric Elms used visual story inspiration from the fan bases of the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and the Charlotte Hornets for his cans. At the same time, BigShot Robot held down his base city of Milwaukee for colorful explosions and representation highlighting the championship eras of the team.
The new collection arrives ahead of the NBA holiday schedule, bringing a premium beer with a Michelob ULTRA fans can experience to celebrate the hoops occasion.
You can see the Bulls, Sixers, and Warriors cans below. The full roster of cans is above.
Distinguished actor James Earl Jones is officially retiring from Star Wars. After 45 years of voicing ‘Darth Vader,’ Jones announced he’s officially signed his voice rights over to Lucasfilm.
The Oscar winner first debuted his voiceover role in the original 1977 film, as the iconic Star Wars villain, giving voice to the ‘Sith Lord’ while David Prowse physically portrayed the character.
Now, sound editors will use archival recordings and an A.I. program to create new dialogue with his iconic voice. This method has already been used in the Star Wars franchise to recreate the voice of a young ‘Luke Skywalker,’ and to mimic Darth Vader’s voice in the new show ”Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
According to Vanity Fair, Jones has given his blessing for Lucasfilm to use his signature voice in future Star Wars content, even those made after his own passing.
The owner of one of cinema’s most epic and iconic voices of all-time, James Earl Jones, has retired from voicing Darth Vader.
Thank you for literally everything. May your retirement be full of love and peace. I’m tearing up right now just writing this. #thankyoujamespic.twitter.com/wzZ12luAdo
The Museum of Graffiti is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of a solo exhibition by graffiti and contemporary artist Doze Green. The show opens on July 28, 2022 and will be on view through Aug 28, 2022.
Gray Matter 3.0 consists of monochromatic works created with mixed media on canvas and paper that are an exploration of the human consciousness rooted in the artist’s study of the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Green explores the four Jungian archetypes: the Persona, the Animus, the Shadow, and the Self. Green’s paintings convey a sense of discordant emotions, chaotic flux, fear, loss, and the inner conflicts experienced in our psyche. In each painting, Green is a presenting an interpretation on the collective state of the human experience and his own efforts to pierce the veil of the unconscious mind. Green states, “the series explores finding the truest version of the self. What have we compromised with our current state of being?”
The artist presents figures emerging out of the gray monochromatic layers of overlapping paint and semitransparent glazes. In Green’s lines there is a sense of urgency – white lines represent the soul all with a direct line to the divine. Black overtones represent protection from the clouded memories and words that spill onto the paintings in gray washes and transparent whites. On canvas, the figures are in transformation to become their higher self and thus emerging semi-revealed, overlapping, and partially concealed. For Green, this energy and motion of created forms exist in a visual meeting place of ideas. Influenced by Edo period paintings, Green mixes black gesso with Sumi ink and applies “creatively chaotic, and intuitive brushstrokes” in a calligraphy-inspired and graffiti aesthetic.
Doze began creating art on the street and on trains in NYC in the 1980s when Hip-Hop was in its heyday, and B-Boys (break dancers) ruled the streets. Doze polished his craft, led by intuitive flow, and advanced from letterforms to character forms. He was the first of his peers to create a style of drawing that has been adopted by graffiti artists around the world. Breaking away from his old “mugsy” characters Doze moved on to illustrate and paint biological entities of the metaphysical spirits. His work celebrates his Cubist influences and includes ascending and descending planes and repetitive, overlapping, and concentric lines in an otherwise undefined landscape.
Tickets: General Admission tickets are $16; Children 13 and under are free. Tickets are available online and include access to all museum exhibitions. To purchase tickets, visit our website from your desktop at home or your mobile device, museumofgraffiti.com
Hours: The Museum of Graffiti is open from 11 AM – 6 PM on weekdays and 11AM– 7PM on weekends. Please check www.museumofgraffiti.com for special holidays, extended hours, and unexpected closings.
Location: The Museum of Graffiti, located at 276 NW 26th Street, Miami, FL 33127.
NBA great Shaquille O’Neal is returning to his hometown of Natick, New Jersey to help improve the community. O’Neal unveiled two projects last week, including a new basketball and multi-use court.
The four-time NBA champ held a 3-point shooting contest, offering up laptops to local students who made a shot. O’Neal shared “I played here in the morning and until late at night. When those street lights went on, I ran my butt home.” He continued motivating the Brick City kids and told them to “follow their dreams.”
Shaq also showed off a 33-story affordable apartment tower, where the basketball superstar will be living in its penthouse, called “Shaq Tower 2.” The $80 million building will be the largest mixed income complex in New Jersey. Governor Murphy said the new apartment complex is a win-win for Newark. Twenty percent of the units will be affordable. The historic development project will also offer 12,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.
The Purple one now reigns over downtown Minneapolis! A mural of international icon, Prince. will be unveiled Thursday night in downtown Minneapolis at a Purple Block Party.
The massive 100-foot tall art display honors the late iconic entertainer. The artwork depicts portraits taken of Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson at three separate points in his career. It sits at 1st Avenue and 8th Street, on the side by Target.
The “Crown our Prince” mural initiative ceremony kicks off the return of Paisley Park’s annual Celebration at 7 p.m.. The events will last for the next four days filled with concerts, celebrity panels, and in-studio recording sessions. It is free and open to the public, scheduled to end at 10 p.m..
According to Kare11, Miami-based muralist Hiero Veiga was selected unanimously from a pool of 60 muralists worldwide. The completion of the legendary entertainers mural has been years in the making. The organizers worked closely with Prince’s family and estate to bring it to life.
Watch Prince’s sister Sharon Nelson speak with media about the importance of the mural honoring him below.
