Bleepbloop Brings the Buff

It is always fascinating how property owners, and the city authorities, do not want bright, colorful, artistic graffiti, but they don't seem to mind mis-matched buff scars.

Bleepbloop calls attention to this discrepancy with a new series where the artist went to unpainted walls, and painted the buff right onto the walls before signing around it.

Interesting stuff.

Bandit -- Indian Zombies Never Die

Bandit gets up another hand painted paster during November. This one was painted with water colors and it is a late Halloween themed paster entitled 'Indian Zombies Never Die'.

Its Hard to Make It In the World of Graffiti and Street Art World

***This feature was written during Banksy's Better Out Than In but never published. The timing references might be out of sync, but the larger points still apply***

This morning, Banksy's 'Eternity' piece woke up to even more damage.  The funniest is a new tag that says nothing more than 'Fuck Banksy'.

Its hard to make it in the world of graffiti and street art.  Everyone outside your community hates what you are doing.  The authorities will arrest you for your art.  Even within the community, it often times feels like there are more haters than lovers in the scene.  And at end of the day, some buffman is waiting to paint over your art.  Its tough to get up and stay up.  It takes a thick skin and balls of steel.  And, some might add, questionable judgement. Bottom line, it is tough work being a graffiti or street artist.

M&F already addressed the small minded--and small dicked--mindset that leads to tagging over pieces and 'Team Robbo' type behavior (there are also some valid points raised in the comments). This post is to point out that it is hard work being a graffiti or street artist.  There is a lot of hate coming from every angle.  Not every graffiti and street artist has experienced the hate on Banksy's level, but everyone who gets up has experienced it on some level or another.

As Banksy prophetically quoted on this very piece yesterday,  "I'm just going to use that hostility to make me stronger, not weaker". 

Staying up is for the strongest, toughest ones.  Stay up!~

Burn One x Bankrupt Slut -- In Korea!

Fuck yeah.  Burn One is taking LA's street art to Asia and the world~

Two of LA's stalwart street artists, Burn One and Bankrupt Slut, just got their collab pasted on the other side of the globe--in Korea!  Posted up by Burn One.

Interesting to note how the graffiti tagging in Korea is still done in English.

Dig it.  Stay up!

GoneMOCA -- 100 Cubes from Malibu to Melrose

GoneMOCA just got up all over LA with an installation of 100 hand painted cubes.

These are highly collectible and most get taken soon after being discovered. Placed from Malibu to Melrose, keep your eyes peeled for Gone's boxes, before they are gone.~

Banksy Has Brought New York Together

October has been a mad month. All kinds of craziness surrounding Banksy went on in New York City, and throughout it all, Banksy's art seemed to bring the nameless faceless masses of New York City together.

Click through to see random groups of New Yorkers posing together with Banksy. (There is one pic in particular of some dudes who look so happy they can't contain themselves. If you can tell who looks happiest in the pics, you might be able to remember why!)

A Return Visit To BanksyNY's Bubble Letter Finale

The last piece from Banksy was so packed with drama and excitement that it is worth a return visit to Banksy's Balloon Bubble Letter Throw-Up.  This piece was the finale to his month long show.

Basically, what is happening in all these pictures is that some dudes used ladders to climb the building and snag Banksy's balloon bubble letters. As they jumped off, the balloon dudes got physically assaulted by 2 Banksy Hunters. The police witnessed the entire thing, and they arrested the two balloon dudes for trespass and criminal mischief. The two Banksy Hunters who assaulted the dudes were not arrested. But later, the police also arrested a couple more photo people who supposedly got in the way of the NYPD performing its duties. What duties? Well, like fat balloon butt cops trying to figure out how to cram Banksy's Balloons into the back of a police van. And then there's some pics of people improvising after Banksy's balloons were taken.

So that's the story behind the madness. 

Click the jump through to check the pictures of Banksy's New York finale

RTH - Cocky

The RTH Crew gets painted in South Los Angeles.

The post is titled 'Cocky' because a proud looking rooster and his hens were strutting around this spot during the painting.

RTH also has reason to be cocky, being one of the first graffiti crews to embrace all methods of getting up, even pasters. Like here, where Kiosk to the left has a graffiti piece riding and pasters next to it on the cut away.

With more action from Branded, Rekoil, Lukas and Realm.

Random Banksy -- #GODLEVEL

Take Kanye West's word for it. BanksyNY has been performing at God level.

Click the jump for a giant glimpse back at some of Banksy's October madness in New York.

Banksy's Not Done Yet!?! -- Rats in NYC

October is officially over. And all of the street art lovers officially have a Banksy hangover. M&F is already suffering from BanksyNY withdrawal.

Perhaps the fans aren't the only ones to see Banksy's New York residency come to an end. Maybe Banksy is also already nostalgic.

The IG account Banksy_co_uk just posted this photo of a rat saying "No rats this time in NYC, but here's an oldie". This might actually be from Banksy, since this IG account was often the initial outlet to publish Banksy's new pieces for the day.

So no rats this time. Banksy clearly wanted to distance himself from the rats, and his monkeys. However, it seems that Banksy enjoyed his time on the streets so much, that he doesn't want to fun to end either. November artist residency, Banksy?

Bandit - Warriors of the Art World

In celebration of Native American Month in November, Bandit aims to put up a new piece every day.

His first piece is called Warriors of the Art World, and it says 'We are not the rockstars of the art world. We are the warriors of the art world.

As for not being rockstars, M&F says speak for yourself! Lol. J/k. The line is something that this blog coined because we do believe that street artists are the rock stars of the art world. But we also agree that the best street artists are also warriors.

So stay up on the streets! Whether you are a rockstar or a warrior. Or, both~

Banksy's 'The Banality of the Banality of Evil' Sells for $615,000!

As a capper to Banksy's month long artist residency in New York, his artwork, 'The Banality of the Banality of Evil' finished bidding at $615,000.  The price jumped over $300,000 in the final minutes of the auction.

Pretty impressive price for a painting of a Nazi. Wonder if the buyer is going to hang this up? or just brag about it?

Space Invader Arrested in New York City!

This is not rumor. The streets are hot after Banksy's month long artist residency, and, Space Invader got arrested last night in New York City. Seriously.

Today, the NY Lowdown published a story that Space Invader got arrested last night while installing this Snow White mosaic. The police took him into custody, and then contacted the property owner Mark Miller, who runs an art gallery at the location.

Not sure exactly how things work in New York, since the NYPD was saying it needed a property owner to charge Banksy with vandalism. The article does not say whether Miller is pressing charges or the NYPD. But Miller says that he plans on keeping Space Invader's art work. So if he is not pressing charges, who is?

This is not the first time Space Invader has been arrested. He has already been ticketed multiple times in Los Angeles as well.  

Banksy: A Revolution for the Biggest Art Movement the World has Ever Seen -- Street Art

Banksy's month long artist residency in New York is now drawing to a close. Banksy has rocked us, shocked us, and now he is trying to knock the art world upside the head. In his final audio, Banksy reveals his major ambition of Better Out Than In--to reclaim art for the outside, not the inside.

Banksy is truly the greatest artist of this generation. He has proven himself on the streets, in the galleries and museums, in the auction houses--and again on the streets. And the entire journey, Banksy did it all on his terms.

Street art is the biggest art movement the world has ever known. And consider these words from Banksy a call for revolution for the entire art world.  Check out Banksy's words of wisdom below:

Well, this is the last day of the show. I'd like to so we are going out on a high note, and, I guess in a way, we are~.

This is a sideways take on the ubiquitous spray painted bubble lettering that actually floats. Its an homage, or sorts, to the most prevalent graffiti, in the city that invented it, for the modern era. Or, its another Banksy piece that is full of hot air.

So, what does the artist hope to have achieved, with this so-called residency? Shame it didn't get any press . . . He told me, that 'if just one child has been inspired to pick up a can of paint, and make some art, well that would be statistically  disappointing  considering how much work I put in'. 

Its been an interesting experiment, but is there a cohesive message behind it? I gave the artist two minutes to think of one . . . 

Banksy asserts that outside is where art should live, amongst us. And rather than street art being a "fad", maybe its the last thousand years of art history that are the "blip" when art came inside, in service of the church, and institutions. But art's rightful place is on the cave walls of our communities. Where it can act as a public service, provoke debate, voice concerns, forge identities.

The world we live in today is run, visually at least, by traffic signs, billboards, and planning committees  Is that it!?! Don't we want to live in a world made of art? Not just decorated by it? 

Thanks for coming.~

BanksyNY Leaves New York with a Free Souvenir Print

Banksy didn't leave New York without leaving a little something for everyone. Its not limited. Its not pre-made. But it is official.

Banksy released this image today on his website saying 'Now available - the official Banksy New York residency souvenir T shirt (you have to take the jpeg to a copy store and make it yourself)'.

Very cool of Banksy to do this as a keepsake for everyone to remember this month. The Omar-ized versions are Do-It-Yourself (but hope you get plenty of people pulling on your balloon string~).

Thanks, BanksyNY!~

The NYPD Can't Catch Banksy! (but they did catch BanksyNY's balloon)

This is rich. The NYPD decided to confiscate Banksy's Balloon Graffiti Throw Up. Guess the NYPD can't catch Banksy, but they did catch his balloon!

All humor aside, this could be more devious than cops merely confiscating illegal art. America's police departments have been known to seize money or other quetionably illegal stuff, and then the person they took it from must prove that it is not illegal. Its an unfair practice abused by many police departments to try and garner more money for themselves. So, its kinda like the NYPD 'stole' Banksy's piece. Lets see if the police cash in, or if the balloon gets 'returned' to the building owner.

Or perhaps the NYPD just wants the Balloon for fingerprints. (Yikes!)

Also, the dudes who tried to steal the balloons ended up getting arrested. M&F is not condoning what they did, but out of everyone who claimed a Banksy this month, these dudes seemed to do it the right way risking life and limb to grab a 'public' piece with no clear owner. Survival of the streetest? And now they are getting arrested? Something smells sour about this situation.

All in all, Banksy couldn't have scripted a better ending. This is not using art as decoration. This is 'making' art in real life. This is why he came to New York. Like Banksy said, "Nobody comes to New York to bathe in your well mannered common sense. We're here for your spirit and audacity."

Indeed. Stay up, New York~

Oh Shit! Shit's Gettin' Real at BanksyNY's Balloon Throw Up!

Oh shit! Shit is gettin' real at Banksy's Balloon Throw Up piece.

It turns out, when the dude who snagged Banksy's piece jumped off the roof, he got physically mugged by a couple of tough looking Banksy Hunters. Problem is, all of the drama happened right in front of the cops, so some people might be getting arrested for this!

UPDATE! -- The Dudes Got Banksy's Balloons! -- Police are On the Scene!

Update! The dudes got Banksy's balloon down. But the NYPD showed up, and not sure how this is going to turn out!

Haha. Its kind of funny how the NYPD has been chasing Banksy all month, and now they are in the opposite position of defending his art work?

Yup, this is art~

Some Dudes are ALREADY Trying to Snatch BanksyNY's Inflatable Throwie!

Some dudes are already trying to snatch BanksyNY's 'Inflatable Throw-up'.

Apparently, the dudes have a ladder long enough to get up to the upper level, but the balloons are tied to to the rooftop, so they appear to be safe--for the minute.

This piece would have been much safer, and stronger, if Banksy had actually painted the graffiti onto the building.  Have never seen one cut out of a building this high up.  Just sayin'.

Ironically enough, some of the folks on the scene are calling the cops to protect Banksy's vandalism. What a strange world we live in, and as Banksy says in his audio, why live in a world decorated by art, when we could live in a world made of art? Watching how the public fumbles over how to deal with a Banksy, its real life art (chasing after art).

Banksy is Full of Hot Air -- A Closer Look at Banksy's Inflatable Throw-Up

The pictures that Banksy released on his website looked like graffiti bubble letters, meanwhile the audio recording on Banksy's website described these as actually full of hot air. Turns out, it is both. These are actual balloons, painted with graffiti, and shaded on the wall with spray paint. But the actual letters themselves are balloons.

It seems that Banksy is having some fun poking at himself with this piece, at the same time he claims the graffiti crown. It is worth noting, that Banksy has outlasted the haters in New York. When Banksy first started, the haters were chomping at the bit to paint over Banksy's new pieces. But as the month wore on, the haters grew less and less motivated. Even last night's Bronx Zoo piece remained untouched, untagged and unvandalized even though it was unguarded for an entire night.

When Banksy started his art show and the pieces would get tagged over, some folks would talk about how New York graffiti does not take kindly to outsiders, but now, at the end of the month, its kind of like Banksy has taught New Yorkers how to behave around graffiti.

Click the jump for a closer look at Banksy's Inflatable Throw-Up.