…and there’s nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound? If an artist makes a work of graffiti, and the work doesn’t appear on Google image search, does it exist? Spotted at Broadway Market in London Fields and published for posterity…
I want to be seen on a Street Art Blog: graffiti, Broadway Market, London (Image by HWL)
Shephard Fairey's Hope poster helped bring street art into the mainstream
So if you’ve ever wondered how the likes of street artists Shepard Fairey, BarryMcGee and Steven Powers (aka Espo) turned a love of skate culture, spray paint and (in Fairey’s case, an unlikely obsession with Andre the Giant) into cult status and highly numerated careers, than the ultimate hipster doco Beautiful Losers is the resource to turn to. The film has a few structural shortcomings but it’s an exhaustive portrait of this group of artists that led the street art movement. It’s production also marked the moment where graffiti and street art slipped over into the world of commercialism and fine art… If you missed it at the cinema, you can watch it here for free.
Tom, the Raleigh Vektar & Roa's rabbit on Hackney Rd, London
The Raleigh Vektar. Could anything be cooler or more 80′s than this BMX with its own computer console, a PacMan like sound track and a body that looks like it was built from the Star Wars Lego collection? As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the bike’s owner, London designer Tom, has updated the sound system so it connects to an I-Pod. Then one day he was riding it around town and had a chance encounter with the Belgian street artist ROA…
Street artist Erica al Cane offers a delightfully unlikely interpretation of a symbiotic relationship (Image by HWL)
We’re in a run-down house put to artistic use in a large garden populated by mud and odd bits of broken glass. A sort of mosh-pit has formed under the veranda where Angelo Milano, covered in glitter like a grunge version of Gold Finger, is spinning like a demented top while the crowd thrashes out – bemusingly – to re-mixes of 90′s dance hits. Above us, a very big, very pink cartoonish penis has been spray-painted across the ceiling. The overall ambiance is akin to a fertility rite as imagined by Keith Haring and manifested in Italy via Google translator. The location is Studio Cromie, Grottaglie, Italy, an unlikely epicentre of street art. The occasion, closing night of the FAME Festival which had begun oh-so-civilly with a gallery opening and dinner hosted at Milano’s grandfather’s house.
Nunca predicts the Euro fall-out in Grottaglie (Image by HWL)
Founded by Angelo Milano of Studio Cromie, FAME references both the Warholian 15 minutes and the Italian word for ‘Hunger’; particularly pertinent in this historically poverty-stricken part of southern Italy that still falters behind the prosperous north.
In the lead-up to the festival in September, the elite of the world’s street artists descend on Grottaglie to paint the walls of neglected buildings, apartment blocks and laneways in the historic quarter, transforming it into a maze of art, Big Ideas, strange tales, satirical jokes and unexpected presences. The festival centres around a gallery exhibition where attendees can purchase tangible artworks, chiefly prints, which helps fund the festival and keeps Studio Cromie ticking over. (If you can’t make it to the festival prints are available for purchase online and obviously the street murals are open all year around.)
Work by British street artist Lucy McLauchlin at FAME Festival gallery, 2010. (Image by HWL)
ARTISTS: This year you can expect to see Italian artists BLU, superstar of the scene, Erica al Cane whose animal-themed works are incredibly cute and twisty and 108. The Euro contingent includes the witty and incisive ESCIF, wall-sculptor Vhils and the German artist Boris Hoppek. Brits include Word to Mother and the lovely Lucy McLauchlan (last year her works so pleased the neighbours that they bought her drinks and snacks while she worked). Also keep your eyes peeled for US paste-up star Swoon and the geometrically inclined Momo. See the FAME Festival website for a complete list.
Street artists Ben Ellis & Blu at the Monastery (Image by HWL)
TIPS: The festival is fairly organic so keep your eyes open and follow the crowd. In the event that you miss something crucial, e.g. the address for the closing party, try this technique: drive/walk around Grottaglie looking for hipsters and when you find some, just ask where the party is! (Grottaglie is a small town. ) Anyone wanting to visit the festival should check out the FAME Festival website but based on our experience, we thought we’d pull together some of the gaps with a bit of a travel guide for the uninitiated.
GET AROUND: The art is spread across the city and Grottaglie doesn’t do public transport. Plenty of people explore the murals on foot, but there’s no doubt that having a car will speed things up and also enable you to do some regional tourism. We rented a Fiat 500 and it was perfect for the region’s winding laneways. (Regional tourism lures include cutsie whitewashed villages, such as Ostuni and Martina Franca nearby, and beautiful coastline villages such as Gallipoli. Also note food is unbelievably good and cheap.) Failing that, a bike is a good compromise. (See here for info train travel in Italy with a bike.) The nearest international airports are Brindisi and Bari.
LOOK AT ART: Studio Cromie makes a handy little map to the town’s street art which you can collect from the gallery on the opening night. (Bottega Papocchia, Via Caravaggio, Ceramics Quarter, Map link: here.)
Conor Harrington at the Monastery, Grottaglie, Italy (Image by HWL)
The spooky rambling Monastery on the edge of town has inspired some amazing art (watch our Monastery video) but can be tricky to find.
Look for a big red building up on the hill off Via 25 Luglio on your right hand side. It has a sign ‘Instituti Provinciali di Benificenza’ which you can glimpse on this map link: here.)
EAT & DRINK: Note that restaurant hours across Puglia are disconcertingly short – arrive too late and you’ll go hungry (arrive respectively by 1pm/8pm for lunch/dinner). This is particularly unfortunate at lunchtime when all the shops close for the afternoon siesta thus dashing your dreams of a quick bakery run.
Roadtesting Osteria Il Piatto Reale Enoteca (We went back for more!)
Osteria Il Piatto Reale Enoteca: traditional family run joint with friendly service and excellent regional cuisine at reasonable (mid-market) prices. It’s extremely popular for Sunday lunch so book ahead, or be prepared to queue for hours – seated guests will go the full three-courses and then linger over the coffee while your tummy growls. (Via Cavour, 13, Grottaglie. Closed Wednesdays.)
Pizzeria il Forno: Excellent cheap pizza (from €6) in an enormous, rustic barn-like room. It’s very popular with families on a Friday and Saturday night (and why wouldn’t it be?) so arrive early for a quick bite or book in advance. (Via Sicilia, 14/Via Foggia, 12. Tel: 099-5638-927. Closed Tuesdays. May be closed at lunchtime.)
A homely atmosphere at Pizzeria il Forno, unless you are a pig. (Image by HWL)
Caffè-Libreria Nomine Rosae: An atypically minimalist arty book store meets drinkery with pared back wood interior and bright red chairs. This is where to find the cool crowd. (Via Risorgimento, 5-7, Centro Storico.)
Vine Caffe’ Di De Giorgio Maria: a typical low-key joint to grab coffee or drinks in thee historic quarter – in good weather you can enjoy the terrace on the plaza.(Piazza Regina Margherita, 16, next to the Salita Immacolta church. Map ref: here.)
SLEEP: Grottaglie isn’t tourist central, so the level of accommodation is not as exciting as that available in some of the more scenic villages elsewhere (eg: Ostuni, Martina Franca). However, if you don’t have a car – or even if you do – it’s definitely the most convenient option for festival go-ers. On the upside, the pricing is very reasonable starting from €35/40 for a single room.
Il Bato B&B, Grottaglie
Il Bato B&B: A characterful 18th century house (pictured above) featuring locally made ceramics and materials (we like the looks of the antique floor tiles). It’s situated behind a church in the historic quarter, is very reasonably priced and has free wi-fi. We didn’t stay there, but this could be the pick of the bunch.
Sogni d’Oro: The rooms are plain, but you can bet they’ve been scrubbed to within an inch of their life. The drawcard here seems to be the view and roof-top terrace and a bit of a ceramics theme, given it’s location in the ceramics district.
Maschere Grottagliesi: Situated in a Renaissance building in the historic quarter, it offers three rooms named by different colours. Thanks to the traditional architecture, the bedrooms might be a little on the dark side, but the website does say “the rooms are all furnished with gusto and creativity and respect the ancient structure of the house…making you feel comfortable and cuddled.” We like the sounds of feeling ‘cuddled’ especially when coupled with comic sans.
Gill Hotel: Angelo organises a special rate for FAME festival guests. It’s a serviceable hotel outside of the historic quarter, rooms are spacious and comfortable enough and perfectly clean. It won’t win any awards unless there’s a prize for ‘exhaustive use of the colour coral’, but it’s central and does the job. Avoid the dismal breakfast area – just around the corner you can have coffee, pastries and juice at the friendly and extremely popular neighbourhood cafe Zelig Bar (Via Amendola, 15, 74023 Grottaglie). The exterior is unpromising, but it’s nice inside. Hotel booking: info@gillhotel.it
Surprisingly atmospheric: Grottaglie, Italy
TAKE A HOLIDAY: Grottaglie is surrounded by lovely villages (Ostuni, Martina Franca, UNESCO-heritage listed Alberobello) –which are quite well set up for tourism. If you have a car you could stay somewhere a bit more exciting (like a hobbit-like trulli house or glam masseria) during the festival – or tack on a holiday at the end of it. Follow this link for info about tourist jaunts and alternative accommodation in Puglia.
GET EXCITED!: Check out the video we made about FAME Festival 2010 for Babelgum below.
William & Kate, stencil art, spotted in Islington, London.
Bring out the bunting. (Photo by HWL)
Someone had to do it. Coming home in a black cab after dinner (at Soho’s Polpetto – highly recommended btw) I noticed this stencil around the corner from home. Bringing distinction to a rather drab London building site is street art commemorating the world’s most famous ‘happy couple’ of the moment. We abandoned Royal Wedding fever in London for an extended Easter break among donkeys and anarchists in Greece (more on that later). But even as committed Republicans, we had to admit this stencil by local, female street artist Bambi – complete with festive bunting – is rather cheerful. The gold slogan “A Bit Like Marmite” brings an absurd and atypical tinge of glamor to the sorry corner of Liverpool & Offord Rds in Islington. (Do check it out if you are in London.) Marmite, like the Queen, is more or less inedible, but the British seem to like it.
In a very loosely connected story of royal weddings and hi-jinx, my friend Adam sent me a link to art pranksters Stickers on the Central Line. (Digression: click here if you want to see Adam talking about flies, genetics and nueroscience.) As well as being exceedingly easy to decipher, the British tube map is an icon of graphic design (wiki story here) and these humorous, guerila-style interventions make travelling on the underground a lot more fun. Their improvement of ‘Park Royal’ station is explained on their website, which I hope they don’t mind my quoting wholesale.
“The marriage of Kate Middleton and William Windsor was commemorated by Transport for London when the new Royal Line was opened by Mohamed El-Fayed. The line will connect Buckingham Palace with Primark, Oxford Street for the first time, allowing the Queen access to her favourite boutique. It should also be noted that seatbelts must be worn at all times on the Royal Line.”
Japes go underground (Photo © Stickers on the Central Line)
Coming on a postage stamp to you soon… All in all, it’s a pretty fitting tribute from the city where Banksy made his name, the Sex Pistols improved on the National anthem.
This one’s for you Liz.
Manufacturing love: CMYK by Blu in V&A Collection
After writing about the retrospective of Australian Street Art held at the NGA in Canberra, Australia, we were excited to attend the launch of Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A in London. With MOCA’s blockbuster Art in the Streets show currently grabbing the headlines in LA and beyond, it was great to see another major international gallery attempting to connect with the growing street art movement. Interestingly, the show wasn’t held at the V&A itself, but at street art gallery Black Rat Projects in Shoreditch where most of the works on display were originally published, and where the drinks flowed freely and the music was way more pumping.
Gaza Strip detail, by Blu in V&A Collection
One of the first things that struck us about the exhibition was that the V&A had chosen wisely. There’s no doubting Blu’s genius when it comes to large-scale graffiti walls, but sometimes the prints and sketches we’ve seen on offer (at elevated prices) have seemed a bit half-baked. Not here. Both of the Blu prints on display illustrated why this Italian artist has become the scene’s true superstar. Gaza Strip, playing on the mobius strip, was pithy, witty, poignant and absurd. The second, CMYK (pictured top), revealed Blu’s wry humour and love of fantastical machinery, the likes of which we recently witnessed in Grottaglie. Continue reading
So our first Perfect Day in Paris was a video, cute, but not hugely practical. So, this is a list of our favourite Paris addresses of the moment…it doesn’t attempt to be extensive or to cover every district in Paris, it’s simply what we like. It started out short and sweet and then expanded wildly (Josephine-Baker like) as thought it had a life of its own – if you want to skip down, you’ll find drinking dens, places for dinner, contemporary art listings and some jaunty seasonal activities and excursions. See here for Hotels We Love in Paris.
Oh, Champs Elysee! (Image by HWL)
Best Coffee Spots in Paris: Loitering on the terrace at a Parisian cafe is pretty much mandatory. The only problem is the coffee. Most cafes serve up something that looks like coffee, but tastes like something that was stored in an old sock for a few years before being put on the stove, burnt, and served up with a dash of some kind of intestinal destroying poison. For some unfathomable reason, fresh milk is not de rigeur in France. Instead they use an ultra processed long-life milk which tastes like sweetened dish-water. Order a cafe au lait and you’ll get the above combined along with a bill for 5 Euros. Thank f%*! the coffee mania which is overtaking the Anglo-speaking world is finally reaching France. (Though why they couldn’t have learnt a trick or two from the Italians by now, we don’t know.) Homesick Australians should go to Coutume Cafe (Do not collect $200, Do not pass go.) Lattes are the closest thing to Melbourne this side of the Dolomites. Though we would skip the slightly unsatisfying menu.
Cafe Madame: offers a cosy retreat from the ‘love for sale’ vibe of the neighbourhood. (Image by HWL)
Alternative coffee places, our current fave is the Franco-American Telescope run by super coffee geeks with a good eye for interior design and a curios owl fetish, though we’re not sure why they stopped doing table service. Over on the Canal St Martin, try Ten Belles featuring food by the dab hands of (or formerly of) Le Bal, they do a good lunch formula but note that the menu only includes ‘filtered black coffee’ anybody who wants anything else (and that was pretty much everyone when we last visited) has to buy a drink in addition to the menu, which makes it less of a deal. Speaking of Le Bal, this gallery cafe is as great for coffee as it is for photography afficionados, lunch and dinner are lovely but avoid the weekend brunch madness. The coffee at Cafe Madame (pictured above) near Porte Saint Denis isn’t always consistent, but the welcoming smiles are like clockwork, if their coffee doesn’t pep you up, there’s always the peep-show next store. We love the flat white, but if you can’t put up with the crush and crumbs at Kooka Boora (a curious experiment in interior design seemingly based on an obstacle course) venture a bit further to Black Market (27 rue Ramey 75018; Open Tues-Sun, 9am-7pm) we love the Scandi-style interior but if you order a single-shot latte, they will look confused and panic. Finally, venture into the Goutte D’Or where you’ll find Cafe Lomi, a diamond in the rough, that offers brilliant coffee and great lunch options.
DRINKING: the French drink often and with enthusiasm, but it usually goes hand-in-hand with food. Wandering around with alcohol in your hand or binge drinking is a no-no – although the habit is emerging among French teenagers who, perhaps, struggle to pay for a drink indoors or have been inspired by their British neighbours. The taking of apero is a cheerful past-time, summer definitely calls for a kir (white wine with blackberry cassis).
Wahloo, it’s rebeu for fun (Image: HWL)
Andy Wahloo: playful pop Arabic in the Marais with happy hour cocktails and the odd knitting party. The courtyard, which backs onto their latest restaurant, Derriere, is lovely in summer (book a table!)
Get a load of this, from Cafe Marly (Image: HWL)
La Perle: Inadvertently retro decor, simple drinks, fun ambiance, international hipsters, low-key locals and the odd legendary fashion designer in need of rehab. It’s both shabby and chic without being ‘shabby chic’. (78, rue Vieille-du-Temple.)
Cafe Marly: Overpriced but quel view! Sunset overlooking IM Pei’s pyramid at the Louvre is magic. Do it once.
Rosa Bonheur: set at the top of the hill in one of Paris’s most scenic parks, les Buttes Chaumont, this bar-slash-pub aka ginguette is a great place for people watching: bobo mums, Jewish families, joggers, retirees, students… The pink and white interior is very pretty and known to go wild on the weekends. Popular with just about everyone, it is also a magnet for glam and leather-clad motorbiking lesbians. (BYO helmet!)
Carmen: Lovely, glamorous and tres cool. Think drinking, DJs and high-brow cultural events that double as flirting opportunities with well-clad hipsters. Befriend them on Facebook to keep abreast of events; but turn up with a Plan B – sometimes it’s guest-list only. (Boring.)
Recent initiatives in Paris include wine bars with snacks, try the off-shoots of fashionable restaurants such as: Verjus Wine Bar and Frenchie’s Wine Bar (6 rue du Nil, 75002) note that in both cases you need to arrive early to score a stool.
Athenee or Hotel Costes: If your idea of a productive afternoon is taking the credit card to Lanvin, then you’ll definitely need a conveniently located address to celebrate your purchases. For this we recommend a glass of champagne amid the modern glamour of Hotel Costes bar on the upmarket shopping strip of Rue de Saint Honore. Alternatively, the Bar at the Plaza Athenee in the 8th evokes images of Monica Bellucci in red suede stilettos toying with a cocktail on a bar stool, though last time we were there it was Bono stepping out of the limo.
Georges: a classic @ Pompidou (Image: HWL)
Georges: walking into George’s on top of the Pompidou centre at sunset can be a heart-stopping moment. A glass of rose on the terrace in summer or a warming red in winter is something everyone should try. (Nb: if you’re going to George’s you can use the designated elevator and skip the queue to the gallery.)
Main d’Or: a hole in the wall in a passage near Bastille, you’ll find this tiny Corsican bar selling wine at old school prices. We once met an elderly and rather decrepit looking gent there who claimed to have slept with 1000 women, which we calculated as being possible if unlikely. (We declined the opportunity to become 1001.) (133, rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine.)
Social Club: combine drinking with dancing at this hipster-friendly nightclub in Montmartre which features an eclectic program of predominantly electronic acts. The zone just got all the cooler with the opening of David Lynch’s nightclub Silencio, inspired by the fictitious club in Mulholland Drive. It’s a member’s club, and despite reports to the contrary it doesn’t seem to admit non-members at any time of the night. At least, not at the moment, we just mention it in the event that you know somebody who knows somebody…
Apocalyptic make-over: JR at FAME street art festival in Grottaglie (Image: HWL)
Inside Out Project = art + travel + street artist JR. French street artist JR is the latest winner of the very coveted TED prize for 2011. His wish – use art to turn the world inside out.
Check out this video documenting some of his work’s in Paris, Israel, Brazil and Kenya. The message in all cases is: cities are made of people who live in them. That being the case, we can – given the opportunity – create our own cities. If that inspires you, upload your own photo, donate (a wall? cash?) or just get involved with this great project.
'Welcome to Australia', by Vexta (2010 Print Stencil, NGA)
After a timid start in the late 1970s, a unique brand of Australian street art emerged in the mid 1990’s – mostly around Melbourne, where the combination of cheap rent, a grassroots creative community, and semi-industrial suburban landscapes provided the perfect canvas for a diverse mix of graf, stencils and paste-up artists.
A particular breed of Australian humour & irony mixed seamlessly with the medium. With hindsight, we can see (ironically enough) that the street art scene thrived under the rule of John Howard’s right-wing Federal government, when political messages took on a particular potency and urgency and street art seemed like the perfect medium to voice a counter-viewpoint. The government’s policies against migrants, refugees, Aboriginals, gays, the environment and other soft targets fostered a rage among the creative classes that perhaps contributed to an outpouring of witty and poignant work by the likes of street artists such as Vexta (see her brilliant, original ‘Welcome to Australia‘ piece which she recreated below for the NGA exhibition that will tour Melbourne later this year, above). Meek and Ha-ha whose tag was ubiquitous in the inner-city bohemian enclave of Fitzroy, were also strong on social commentary. Continue reading
The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is rarely over-run with visitors, but the Basquiat exhibition currently showing has Parisians braving the winter temperatures and queuing around the block. After a few unsuccessful attempts I rocked up early one morning and managed to see it for myself.
The paintings are great. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to see the work by an artist whose notoriety often overshadows his actual output. Over the galleries his key themes became apparent: the symbol of a crown, the placing/ replacing of African American heroes on a pedestal (eg: Cassius Clay), issues of slavery and race (including repetitive references to southern plantation staples like sugar and tobacco); and some unusual word play, like removing letters or vowels of words to create a kind of shorthand which would seem at home in a text message (eg: jazz great ‘Charlie Parker’ becomes ‘CPRKR’). OK, so, it’s not quite the Da Vinci Code, but cryptic all the same.
