Tag Archives: graffiti

Arts and Culture

GuitarTown Sunset Strip Art Project Adds New Street Art Guitar!

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The Sunset Strip and Gibson Guitar have announced the addition of a new guitar to GuitarTown on The Sunset Strip, a public art project launched in August 2010 featuring more than twenty-five 10-foot tall fiberglass Gibson Les Paul model guitars strategically placed on the legendary Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Well-known Los Angeles street artists have collaborated for this one-of-a-kind piece. The guitar will be on display as part of Maximillian Gallery and prominent art blog Melrose and Fairfax’s collaborative exhibit “What Graffiti is to New York – Street Art is to Los Angeles.” Continue reading GuitarTown Sunset Strip Art Project Adds New Street Art Guitar! →

Arts and Culture

Factory Fresh Gallery Presents Dark Horse By Sweet Toof

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Through the 1980s and into the ‘90s, Sweet Toof built his career and reputation as a prolific street/graffiti artist across his home country of England. In recent years, this enigmatic artist has moved from the street into the gallery with his paintings and sculptures, often depicting paint roller-wielding, smartly dressed skeletal protagonists, each sharing one very distinguishing facial feature. Sweet Toof’s first New York solo exhibition, Dark Horse is now showing at Brooklyn’s Factory Fresh Gallery. The Worley Gigrecommends this show as a Must See!


All Photos By Geoffrey Dicker Unless Otherwise Noted

Sweet Toof’s work – which is instantly recognizable for its subjects’ trademark over-sized teeth set in swollen gums – is heavily influenced by the Vanitas Paintings of sixteenth century Europe, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Subway Art and the underground comics of Vaughn Bodé. While there is a good deal of visual humor in his work, Sweet Toof takes on darker subjects such as free speech (and lack thereof), colonialism, political revolution and death; but his paintings are provocative enough to be open to a wide range of interpretations. He is definitely an artist whose strident voice doesn’t preclude leaving the viewer free to find his or her own meaning in his very unique art. Factory Fresh Gallery co-owner Ali Ha was also super friendly and very excited to answer any questions we had about the show. I enjoyed Dark Horse very much and it was way worth the short trek to Brooklyn! I’m looking forward to visiting this space again for future exhibits.

Before leaving the neighborhood, be sure to take a leisurely stroll up and down the one-block long side street bordering the gallery’s south face, not only to check out a ton of other colorful street art and graffiti but also to see the “gum line” that Sweet Toof has painted across the full length of the top of one of the buildings (see photo below).

Sweet Toof’s Dark Horse Runs Through May 22, 2011 at Factory Fresh, Located at 1053 Flushing Avenue between Morgan and Knickerbocker (off the Morgan stop on the L train) in Brooklyn, NY. Gallery Hours are Wednesday – Sunday from 1-7 PM.

Design and Innovation

Graffiti Cocktail Shaker Conjures Mr. Brainwash

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While this cleverly designed Cocktail Shaker (designed by William Kellogg) has no affiliation with pop artist Mr. Brainwash, anyone who’s familiar with that artist’s giant spray paint can sculptures will certainly draw an instant comparison. And with the popularity of the documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop that might just be good for sales! Designed to look like an actual can of spray paint, this stainless steel mixer features a faux Krylon logo on its white exterior, and comes with a decorative red plastic cap that covers a non-operational nozzle. Holds 14 ounces of delicious beverage fluid: enough to get you and a friend fully crocked.

Thanks to Thrillist For The Tip!

Arts and Culture

Must See Art: Creepshow by Dolla at NYC’s Bold Hype Gallery

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“Too Many Creeps…”

I will admit that Creepshow, featuring work by Orlando-based street artist Dolla, is the first gallery show opening I’ve attended where they handed out 3-D glasses at the door. Dolla, who recently completed the conversation-inspiring campaign, “Dolla Lama” is – like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf and many others – among the up-and-coming contemporary artists making the welcome transition from the street to the gallery. I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about his creations. The Creepshow exhibit is based on a central character created by Dolla, The Creep. Creep looks like a mechanical crab with a cartoonish, mobster-like face. Dolla explains the Creepshow in his own words, below:
Continue reading Must See Art: Creepshow by Dolla at NYC’s Bold Hype Gallery →