Exhibition Project Recap: Lak Aan Braak @ KUS

Revisiting my trip to Heerlen, I would like to share my biking experience in the hilly parts of the Netherlands. Yes, this post (along with many others) can be considered long overdue, but the story will remain the same either way. I had the opportunity of meeting artist/curator Jens Besser, whom as you may or may not know has been involved in numerous projects throughout Europe. During my visit, I was able to see the "Urban Script Continues 2011 - Lak Aan Braak," a wallpainting project curated by Robert Kaltenhäuser and Jens Besser in cooperation with kuS. The project consisted of mural paintings scattered throughout the town and an that showcased the progress, communication and legal process, press and/or articles, scheduling and photographs of finished murals pieces. After going through various stages of development, the Heerlen project was realized with the participation (and collaboration) of artists including Bue (Belgium), ECB Grapic (Germany), Gigo (Germany), Graphic Surgery (the Netherlands), Lastplak Collective (the Netherlands), Maen Marek (Germany), Resto (Belgium), Roa (Belgium), Skount SR (the Netherlands), Vagabundos (Belgium), El Neoray (Belgium), and Marie van Collenhoven (the Netherlands).

The exhibition ended June 30th, however the murals remained untouched and are still viewable. I managed to obtain images from Jens' flickr, UrbanScript flickr as well as from kuS's website. Many thanks and credits for photography goes to both respectable parties. Also, check out the artists at work in this video below.

Exhibition link: Lak Aan Braak | Jen's Flickr page

Justin Bua's Documentary on DMC

Landmark Television Documentary “DMC: Walk This Way”
to Debut on Ovation TV: JULY 10

World renown artist and author Justin BUA is proud to announce his directorial debut of "Walk this Way," the untold story of one of music's greatest legends Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels. As one of three founding members of the iconic group--RUN DMC--DMC brought rap to the mainstream of American culture, only to be left behind as hip-hop exploded and became one of the most significant cultural movements of our generation. Featuring Ice-T, Eminem, MC Lyte, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, Mix Master Mike, Z-Trip and many more, BUA paints a picture and chronicles DMC’s battle--and ultimate triumph--over his addiction to alcohol, the loss of his voice, and ultimately, the reclaiming of his identity.

Check out this 30 second promotion clip below:

"DMC: Walk this Way" premieres Sunday July 10, 10 pm EST on Ovation TV. To find Ovation in your area, go to www.ovationtv.com.

For more info visit: www.facebook.com/buafans and www.justinbua.com

Ernest Concepcion: L.A. GUERRA

UNTITLED: ART PROJECTS Presents
ERNEST CONCEPCION
'L.A. GUERRA'
July 9-August 6, 2011

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 9, 2011
6-9pm

L.A. Guerra is an exhibition of new paintings that experiment with photo-based and landscape portraiture. I employ concepts of war in the process of their creation, charging at each painting with renderings of fantastical elements onto straightforward historical imagery, and intervening onto tranquil landscapes with drawn armies marching across the horizon.

My process is akin to a battle being waged on differing surfaces (paper vs. acetate), employing varied materials (pencil vs. sharpie) and divergent techniques (manga vs photorealism) to yield unexpected combatants (Norse Gods vs Filipino cryptids vs Nazi regiments). This springs from a child’s-view of a Philippine colonial past, in addition to an abiding obsession with Filipino, American, and Japanese visual culture, particularly comics, anime, and video games.

Compulsive patterns, lines and obsessive detail define my work, where tables battle chairs to compete with rednecks who fight aliens who squelch sasquatches who feast on campers. Sketches and doodles—the most rudimentary expression of visual thought—burgeon into wall-size ink drawings that traverse painting.

Recent work has me immersed in the world of enamel paint, a material most often associated with industrial production. I've spent the past year and a half with this substance to develop a haunting and powerful series of portraits of the mushroom cloud—the most powerful symbol of modern-man’s appetite for destruction.

ATTACK!

- Ernest Concepcion, June 21, 2011

Untitled: ArtProjects
2209 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Not to miss: NUEVO MUNDO Release in London

NUEVO MUNDO
BOOK RELEASE LONDON Thursday July 7th 2011 6-9pm

Pictures on Walls
46-48 Commercial Street
London E1 6LT

SUBEN is proud to announce the imminent London release of 'Nuevo Mundo: Latin American Street Art' (Die Gestalten 2011) book at Pictures on Walls on Thursday, July 7th 2011 from 6-9pm.

Meet the book's author, Maximiliano Ruiz (SUBEN) and artists as they gratefully customize your copies with their finest art. Copies of the book will be available at a one night only special price.

Artists in attendance tomorrow night: Thiago Alvim, Yusk (Brazil), Don Lucho, Saile (Chile), Stinkfish (Colombia), Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada (Cuba), Buytronik, Cix (México), Basik, Physe and Wesr (Perú).

Click here for more details.

-----

Back in 2008, London celebrated Maximiliano Ruiz's (SUBEN) previous book release, 'Graffiti Argentina' (Thames & Hudson) with the attendance of many local street art lovers.

Trainspotting

En route to Heerlen, The Netherlands. Camera died, but managed to take these pictures on my phone during my nice, quiet train ride.

Out and About: Köln

Yay! Found two of the large murals that are a part of City Leaks Festival 2011. Gotta love BLU.

...and pictured above are other random findings. Can't help myself. I really liked that "It's Just Porn Mum!" sticker. Ha!

City Focus: Köln, Germany

Nothing beats being with good friends in Köln, Germany. Put aside the extreme weather changes, train delays and lack of sleep our short trip to the city was pretty fun. People were extremely helpful and friendly there, which made it so much easier to get used to get around. Despite standing out in the crowd and not being able to communicate in German, they were open to giving us directions and suggestions. In fact, one guy actually gave us a brief history of this fourth largest city in Germany. Although unplanned, rather than having another day trip, we ended up spending the night there.

* Lovebirds *

*A good laugh*

Good times, good times. My camera died again shortly after, so much for documentation. Bummer.