Sang Bleu » urban/street art

Metanoia in the West Village

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:10:14 +0000

As I was having an aimless walk in the neighbourhood, I lately bumbed into the Metanoia show (previously advertized on the blog) as well as Patrick Sullivan, the owner of the space, P.J.S. Exhibitions. An interesting meeting.

Patrick was born in Ireland. For the first two years of his life, Sullivan and his family lived on a farm in the small town of Kenmare. After immigrating to the U.S., the Sullivans resided in Westchester County, NY for four years then packed up and moved to New York City. Sullivan began his academic career at The Trevor Day School and finished at The Beekman School. Although he attended these institutions, both prestigious and educational in a conventional sense, Sullivan was also learning lessons from the city itself, continually drawing inspiration from street art around him. Around age 16, influenced by his family’s own collection and intrigued by the vibrancy of urban life, his interest in art evolved into passion. Since 2005, Sullivan’s been dividing his time between New York and Miami, mostly for buying and spectator purposes. His travels have awarded him the opportunity to not only meet and work with a handful of successful galleries, but to secure his relationships in the world of art dealing. For the past several years he’s been working with Art Watch, a program dedicated to prevent the over-restoration of paintings. After graduating from Christie’s Certificate Program in Modern Art, Connoisseurship and the History of the Art Market in June 2009, Sullivan has developed a keen eye for admiring and appreciating various media of artist expression. P.J.S. Exhibitions will be home to a series of exhibits, rotating every 45 days with a diverse selection of emerging artists’ work. Sullivan’s gallery will highlight work from photographers, tattoo artists and jewelry designers, amongst others, with every fourth exhibit aiming to benefit a non-profit cause.

METANOIA, ” a positive psychological re-building”, is constituted by a selection of works by Ryan Bonilla, Chris O’Donnell, Josh Egnew, Thomas Hooper, Jason June and Stephanie Tamez.
The show is taking place on 238 West 14th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenue, until August 29th.

Life’s A Beach

Jason Farrer — Sun, 30 May 2010 11:39:12 +0000

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Last week we escaped the 24/7 BedStuy heat by taking a day trip to Coney Island. We’ve still got two Polar Bear tickets burning a hole in our board shorts but we’ve opted to save Beyoncé in hyper drive for a later date. Instead we’re headed to the Jersey Shore to see what kind of freak shows she has in store on her boardwalks. Mural by SSUR.

L.A.day 2: surrealism meets post-modernism

Maxime Buechi — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:25:33 +0000

On the second day I woke up late, slightly jetlagged (like I usually woke up earlier). Catch up with Gary, get to the restaurant of the standard hotel, exchange a few text messages with Estevan Oriol, wait for him to arrive to order our lunch. Estevan arrives, gives me a copy of his stunning “LA women” book, we exchange friendly introductory words on business, life, Hip Hop, Art and fashion while having our hamburgers. Then Estevan offers to take us on a trip to his shop “Last Laugh”. We accept, get to a pick up of a size probably violates any european limitation, drive through downtown as we discover Estevan’s taste for british urban music. Last Laugh is an impressively tastefully set up local where Mr Cartoon sells a selection of classic LA urban items such as pendelton shirts and customized baby buggies. A second room is dedicated to Estevan’s “Joker” brand and a backroom hosts a tattoo studio. We are introduced to Estevan’s exquisitely serviceable assistant Flaco and Estevan offers to take us to the infamous S.A. studio. Like degenerated Alices, Gary and myself fall through a delirious rabbit hole as Estevan drives through LA’s very own Skid Row, zigzagging among crackheads while Jamma’s sub-basses tickle our sinuses. As we park in front of the SA studios, I start to realize what SA studios are. Estevan and Mr cartoon’s office, but I am still very far from imagining what is coming next. As we enter, and roam the ground floor, Estevan introduces us to his own and Mr Cartoon’s collection of low riders. If anyone had asked me before that day if I had already seen a real Low Rider, I would have certainly negligently given the answer “yes”, but the truth would have been “no”. What the two european kids discovered there would probably a Dan Graham’s delirium tremens, but it most certainly was for the a dozen years of hip hop- and americano-mania’s (read: “obsession”) once-in-a-lifetime pinnacle. Then i notice that I didn’t take my newly acquired Mark II and that my old G10 is about to run out of battery. Shit

I must stop writing now, it is 100degrees Fahrenheit in NY, my computer is burning. The journey goes on, more soon.

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L.A. preview 2

Maxime Buechi — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:29:39 +0000

I am in the middle of a pretty massive editing work on all the images I shot in LA. Just another preview to keep you waiting! (Shot at the AS studios, one of Mr Cartoon’s Customized vans and Estevan Oriol’s 64 Impala.)

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Ben Perdue — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:59:45 +0000

Last day of Ed Templeton’s photography show in association with Slam City Skates at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in London today, 12-6pm.

Estevan & Ignazio

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:35:02 +0000

This weekend, SB contributor Estevan Oriol was in Rome in order to launch his new book, L-A WOMAN, published by Drago.

Below, during our visit of in the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio, which is a Roman Catholic titular church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.

photography by Jean L’Olivier

bombers, for instance

Maxime Buechi — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:28:14 +0000

I am fascinated with popular or generally functional clothing much more than the fancy, elite one. It is the Uniform vs Couture. Probably one of the reasons for my appeal to the “british fashion”, much more popular, style-orientated, as opposed to the “french fashion”, full of codes and a history few people have access to.

Among others, i have always had a love/hate relation to bombers. Around here, they are very generally perceived as linked to extreme right-wing subcultures, while in america, they are simply a widespread popular garment. No need to say that the stylistic projections I abstractly make on such an item while watching The Wire find themselves severely jeopardized when confronted to an environment that’s in a general style-denial like the little swiss town i find myself in these days.

I dream about a blog that would explore the history and repertory the uses and codes linked to popular clothes, and daring to also explore their occurrences in black-american cultures, french “banlieue” styles and so on. If such a thing exists, please let me know.

But until someone does it for me or I find some time to start it myself, here are two links to blogs already taking it slightly to that direction:

http://eworkers.blogspot.com/

This one I found a link to on Thomas Hooper’s website. It is pretty serious and well done. Let the images speak for themselves, because unless you’re japanese speaking, not even google-language tools can save you!

The other one is:

http://www.drygoodsandassortedsundries.com/
Much more fashion orientated, but I appreciate the angle it is taking on clothing-blogging.

And just for the hell of it: a very non extreme right-wing use of a bomber.

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japanese do it better

Maxime Buechi — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:18:52 +0000

how could a a bad american graphic design just become good by adding some japanese signs on it? well it just… does.
the music is classic nonetheless. Pretty happy I found this one!
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gorilla biking

Maxime Buechi — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:50:30 +0000

Recently I have the fun to tattoo Wonka and Dave Marshall in Bern upon invitation from my dear friend Patrick Fraefel who happens to be PR for Gorilla Bicycles. A few days later (or was it before? Who cares?) Wonka, Patrick, RENAUD SKYRONKA and Corinne Stoll shot a series of pictures to be featured in the upcoming issue of sang bleu. I was also given (ok, my chronology is messed up, cause THAT was 4 months prior) a beautiful fixed gear bike that have since been upgraded up to that:

And here is a little behind the scenes video of the shoot. As much as I am impressed by the stuff Wonka does, I am not even remotely interested in using my bike to jump over stuff, but I must say, nor am I interested in riding normal bikes anymore since I discovered fixed gear cycling!

(you might wanna turn the volume off before playing the video ;) )

GOrilla – Playing with Fire from Gorilla Bicycles on Vimeo.

Gesellschaftsspiel in Berlin

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:07:19 +0000

The play has a strong opening: a crash, followed by swearing, insult and scorn. He and she have come home after a long evening at a party and, although it is three A.M. and neither is entirely sober, it is not unreasonable to take their apparently random German conversation as being indicative of their typical attitudes towards life and each other. She, like the heroine of the movie she probably talks about, is “discontent.” She dislikes her house, she is dissatisfied with her husband’s sedentary ways and generally passive orientation toward life.
He never does anything (although it is not yet clear what, exactly, doing would entail). However, he is wearing Lanvin’s “Graffiti Necklace”.

That image got stuck on my mind.

I AM GOING TO JUMP, KICK YOUR FACE AND THEN KISS IT

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:17:35 +0000

I am going to jump kick your face and then kiss it.

I have been practicing my jump kicks every day.

I have been practicing my jump kicks at least three or four times a day.

That means I have performed more jump kicks than the average human.

That means when I jump kick your face you will notice the power.

That means when I jump kick your face, it will mean more than if someone else did it.

After I jump kick your face I will kiss it.

There will be many kisses—an amount that eventually becomes annoying and vaguely frightening. They will seem mad.

And I won’t even feel emotion while I’m kissing your face. It will just be something I am doing.

I will kiss your face repeatedly. Mainly in the cheek area. But sometimes on the nose and sometimes on the forehead.

And sometimes my mouth will be open. Sometimes my front teeth will touch your skin but it will be accidental. And I promise to open my eyes to assure you if that happens.

When you feel teeth and then open your eyes, mine will already be open.

But I will not stop kissing your face.

The pleas to stop will not be obeyed.

The next day you will wake up with your face against the pillow, your jump kicked and violently kissed face.

It will hurt.

You will touch it and feel how it hurts.

I am practicing my jump kicks; my kisses are already pretty good.

You will get one of the former and many of the latter.

You mean nothing and you are nobody.

You are a crumb in my bellybutton.

As it is the 25th Anniversary of Jordan Brand, NIKE is releasing a lineup of classic Jordans in all white. A beautiful “naked” pair of sneakers. I am SO going to jump, kick & kiss!

Text above @ kissable Sam Pink

the day grew darker but the artworks still worked

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:39:36 +0000

Because he was drunk he did not speel well, only really slept for perhaps twenty minutes the whole entire night, and when the morning came he was feeling sick and drunk, and he had a headache, and his mouth tasted awful, and he was tired, but he remembered that someone would be arriving home that day, so he got up and washed himself and put on a clean shirt and brushed his teeth, and sat at the table and ate a banana and made art.

I can’t get tired of Matias Faldbakken’s 2008 canvas…

UNTITLED CANVAS, 2008
Canvas tape on Belgian linen / wooden stretcher
152,5 x 152,5 cm

As you might already know, his highly recommended monography “Not Made Visible”, was published in 2007 by Christoph Keller for Les Presses du Réel.

48 hours ago

Maxime Buechi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:59:18 +0000

I went with photographer Julien Lachaussée to Laura Satana’s tattoo studio: XXXOTIC TATTOO in Paris to make an interview & photoshoot with herself and famous french rapper Booba. Fun!

(Laura is much sweeter than she looks on the picture here! ;)

In the video: producer Mathieu AKA Dolor, Laura, Booba, Julien Lachaussée, Mathias (Laura’s apprentice)

shooting Laura Satana & Booba for sang bleu 5 from Sang Bleu on Vimeo.

parisian youth gangs in the 80’s and 90’s

Maxime Buechi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:27:25 +0000

Here is an interesting documentary that was recently released.
It’s official topic is the development of youth gangs as a response to the apparition of (nazi) skinhead gangs in Paris, in the 80’s. In my opinion, its main interest remains the documents more than the personal views and anecdotes expressed in it, for they often sound a bit too romanticized to be taken as such. Worth checking in any case!

(I only embed here the first part, I let you check out the rest directly from youtube…)

Lil Wayne (9 months old) GQ Interview feat. Terry Richardson

Jeanne-Salome Rochat — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:30:40 +0000

Speaking of Jupiter, you say on your records that you’re a Martian. What’s that mean?
Just out there, you know. Don’t like to think like everybody else, don’t like to try to think like everybody else, don’t like to do nothing everybody else think I’m gone do, don’t like to say nothing everybody else think I’m gone say.

Seems at some point artists have to make the decision about whether they should be different or popular.
Not at all. It’s easy to be me.

That’s your first tattoo, right there, right?
My first tattoo is this tattoo right here, in memory of rabbit, it’s up to me. That’s my dad. He passed when I was 14, so I got it when I was 14.

How’d he die?
He got shot.

(extract of an interview with rapper Lil Wayne. Photographs were done by the one and only Terry Richardson. Check out the whole interview here.)