It’s been rad working with Ether at the gallery . He is a talented hard working dude and is also Fourth Wall Project’s Employee of the Month. He caught a lot of fame for this Weezy Illustration:
And also is the bonnie & clyde of graffiti alongside Utah(who you remember modeling the Claw Money Lookbook) Hey Ether, come by the gallery to pick up your award and a pair of nikes.
In other news, our friend Caleb Neelon just returned from a mural project in Seville Spain.
Next up in the fashion files…..
No disrespect to workwear boots, but it’s just not for me. I rarely participate in the building trades and the shits look Herman Munster. However, I do dedicate a good chunk of time in the woods to hike and fish as often as life allows. That’s why I was glad to receive a new pair of Fracaps from our homies in Lecce, Italy. Grazie! These are going to be a staple of my wardrobe alongside the Clae Strayhorns (thanks Matt & Sung) I picked up at Capsule in vegas.
Also, Marc Bell(Drawn and Quartely) just finished the poster for our upcoming October show The Right Thing The Wrong Way The Story of Highwater Books
Included will be various works by the core artists involved in the development of Highwater Books (Brain Ralph, Megan Kelso, Ron Rege, Jordan Crane, Greg Cook, Jef Czekaj, Marc Bell, Kurt Wolfgang), some of the work wil be new some will be originals pages from their published work. Though not all of these artists were published by Highwater, they all worked with/for the company in one way or another and since a large of part of Highwater was it’s status as a kind of comics “gang” it is important that the people that appear in the show were integral in that. Along with the original work there will be an installation that exhibits the ephemera/history of the company to give the art and artists context as well as a catalog that will give an oral history of the company.
Rappin with the Rickster was a public access tv show with Ricky Powell following his life and work photographing the early Def Jam roster, a young Larry Fishburne, smoking blunts w/ “Hand on the Pump” era Cypress Hill, and exploring the high rises of the new york rap elite.
My friends over at Five Day Weekend sent me a promo copy and I gotta say it’s a great DVD for the collection. The show itself gives candid access to a time in hip hop and NYC that we all have a warm fuzzy memory of. Rare footage of Dr. Revolt, a young Sofia Coppola, Warhol, Basqiat, Dr. Revolt, Dondi, RunDMC, fellow highsnobiety contributor Dante Ross, and countless others are the real gem here.
Richard Avedon at the MFA
On the other side of the Ricks who photograph is iconic photographer Richard Avedon. The MFA gave me a nice preview of the show last week and I was transported to a time when the world was more glamorous and the mode of fashion was elevated sophistication instead of our current state of Kardashians and voyeuristic exploitation. The Paris Nightlife section of the exhibition was particularly strong with some his best work and some of the MFA’s best presentation.
Go visit the MFA. They just redesigned and have great film screenings as well as amazing bands in the courtyard.
Lastly, a preview of our upcoming project w/ Lacoste!
LACOSTE Legends brings together 12 legendary collaborators from the worlds of music, media, design and retail, to create an exclusive collection comprising 12 shoes.
The 12 Lacoste LEGENDS are: Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B, Sébastien Tellier, Stones Throw Records, Japanese designer Ato Matsumoto, fashion designers Christophe Lemaire and Tim Hamilton, Sneaker Freaker, i-D Magazine, Shoes Master, Bodega, D-Mop and Parisian fashion store Colette.
The 12 LEGENDS footwear designs reflect the broadly diverse personalities and creative talents of each of the contributors, and confirm their legendary status as the foremost trend-setters and opinion-leaders from across the globe.
To celebrate the launch of the LACOSTE Legends project, LACOSTE hosted a glamorous party at Berlin night-spot ‘Stadbad’, with sets from Stone Throw DJ James Pants and Jazzie B.
The 12 designs go on sale with selected global distribution on 12.12 – the 12th December 2010.
For more details on the Lacoste Legends range and the 12 collaborators, visit http://www.24teeth.com/.
New Mural at the shop by the world famous Project SF
A couple developments since the last post . Bodega collabs with Vans, Lacoste, Converse and a Japan only Saucony project have been keeping the workshop busy. Improper Bostonian just shouted us out for Best of Boston and we won that award again this year from Boston Magazine for the 4th year in a row!
Our gallery Fourth Wall Project just won Best of Boston in it’s first year of operation. It has the potential to be on par with Upper Playground, but localized to the northeast. So much talent here!
The upcoming show:::::::
Opening reception: August 13th 6-9pm
Works by: Antoniadis and Stone, Raul Gonzalez, Jessica Gath, Alone, Jason Reppert, Nicole stone, Jesse Littlefield, Matthew Rich, Janos Stone, Miles Huston, Fredo Conde, David Ording
David Ording is a painter who’s work is in constant dialogue with historical modes/subject of painting.
Jason Reppert is a sculptor who’s work is an intuitive/expressive manipulation of materials and found objects. Nicole Stone is a sculptor/painter who creates hand painted sculptures that get there source material from google searches.
Alon is a multi media artist who’s work as an artist on the streets inform his photo collections of burnt out trash cans and vandalized cars. His work would be presented as a collection of small photos on the wall. Janos Stone is a multi-media sculptor who works with drywall, etching the surface with contemporary reliefs. His work walks a tightrope between classical creative modes and contemporary art concerns. Jessica Gath is a conceptual/performance artist who’s work is often participatory and provokes viewers to contemplate their own connections with their community. These images depict her installation at Samson Projects, in which she cooked
and offered food in jars to be shared and refilled by those who took one. The installation was accompanied with audio of her cooking process. Fredo Conde’s sculpture is about artifice versus the physicality of the sculptural entity. Matthew Rich makes paintings/collages that examine picture making as well as painting’s objectivity. Antoniadis & Stone
Alexi Antoniadis is a RISD trained artist with 8 years of experience as a builder and project manager for a design/build firm in the Boston area. He also worked as a muralist in California, where his projects ranged from a restaurant and a Napa winery to Madonna’s Mexico residence.
Nico Stone is a self-taught fine artist with 7 years of practical experience as a designer/builder. His work, which includes a Newbury Street retail store and a nightclub, has been cited in the Boston Globe Magazine and WeAr global design magazine.
Nico and Alexi continue to create and exhibit their fine art while working on design/build projects as each discipline invigorates the other.
A small show of artists from around the country (Boston:: Enamel Kingdom. Margaret Singer. Kenji Nakayama. Massiel Grullon. NineRevolutions. Sarah Laws “FunCupcake”. Frantz Cadet. Deme5. Problak. Kwest. Marka27, New York:: COPE2. Lichiban. Pen Tha Black Krayon, Los Angeles:: David Flores. Kofie. Sherm. Werc Alvarez, San Francisco:: Jesse Hernandez ) is opening tomorrow nite….
Sunday, June 21, 2009
at Achilles Project
283 Summer St., Boston
Private Showing: 4 – 6pm
Public Opening: 6 – 11pm
Fear no Art #3, an exhibition curated by Marka27 & NineRevolutions is dedicated to promoting and exposing underground art forms to a larger audience by bringing together some of today’s best artists from Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
I’ll be djing w/ T-wrexx from NY..
Boston:
ninerevolutions
pro blak
marka 27
Los Angeles : WERC
Lichiban(NYC)
Do-Ho Suh, “Karma,” 2008, paint on paper, 59.75″ x 41″. Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin Gallery.
Roger Andersson, “Quebec Sucks,” 2002, watercolor on paper, 28” x 21″, Courtesy of Sara Meltzer Gallery, NY. Orly Genger, “Untitled,” 2008, ink and collage on paper, 22.5” x 30.25”, Courtesy of Larissa Goldston Gallery, NY
Last, DJ BabyYu just dropped this amazing mix :B.I.G. – A Tribute To The Greatest Rapper Of All Time… download here
Tracklist
1. Diddy Introduction
2. Bob Marley – Johnny Was
3. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Bob Marley – Hold Your Head
4. The Notorious B.I.G. – Dead Wrong
5. Al Green – I’m Glad You’re Mine
6. The Isley Brothers – Between The Sheets
7. The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa
8. Supercat feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Dolly My Baby (Remix)
9. Herbie Hancock – Watermelon Man
10. The Notorious B.I.G. – Me And My Bitch (Live)
11. Zapp & Roger – Computer Love
12. Isaac Hayes – Walk On By
13. The Notorious B.I.G. – Warning
14. Edgar Winter – Dying To Live
15. The Notorious B.I.G. & 2 Pac – Runnin’
16. Diana Ross – Missing You
17. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. 112 – Miss U
18. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Method Man – The What
19. Junior M.A.F.I.A. feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Player’s Anthem (Remix)
20. Minnie Riperton – Memory Lane
21. Junior M.A.F.I.A. feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Get Money
22. Sylvia Striplin – You Cant Turn Me Away
23. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. R. Kelly – Loving You Tonight
24. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. 112 – Sky’s The Limit
25. Bobby Caldwell – My Flame
26. DeBarge – Stay With Me
27. The Notorious B.I.G. – One More Chance
28. Lou Donaldson – Who’s Making Love
29. Craig Mack feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J & Rampage – Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)
30. Les McCann – Valantra
31. The Notorious B.I.G. – Ten Crack Commandments
32. The Honey Drippers vs. R. Kelly – Impeach The President with My Body
33. The Notorious B.I.G. – Unbelievable
34. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put A Spell On You
35. The Notorious B.I.G. – Kick In The Door
36. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Diddy & Busta Rhymes – Victory
37. Bill Conti – Going The Distance
38. Black Heat – Something Extra
39. Lords Of The Underground – Chief Rocka
40. The Notorious B.I.G. – Machine Gun Funk
41. David Porter – The Masquerade Is Over
42. The Notorious B.I.G. – Who Shot Ya?
43. The Notorious B.I.G. – I Got A Story To Tell
44. Lil’ Kim – Crush On You
45. Jeff Lorber Fusion – Rain Dance
46. The Notorious B.I.G. – Gimme The Loot
47. James Brown – Coldblooded
48. James Brown – Blues & Pants
49. The Notorious B.I.G. – I’m Jus Playin’
50. Betty Wright – Clean Up Woman
51. Mary J. Blige feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Real Love
52. Total feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Can’t You See
53. James Brown – The Payback
54. Mtume – Juicy Fruit
55. The Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy
56. The Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize
57. Herb Alpert – Rise
58. Jay-Z feat. The Notorious B.I.G. – Brooklyn’s Finest
59. Ohio Players – Ecstacy
60. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Luke – Big Booty Hoes
61. Idris Muhammed – Crab Apple
62. Puff Daddy & The Family – It’s All About The Benjamins
63. The Jackson 5 – It’s Great To Be Here
64. Last Poets – When The Revolution Comes
65. The Notorious B.I.G. – Party & Bullshit
66. Deodato – Skatin’
67. The Notorious B.I.G. – Nasty Boy
68. Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out
69. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase – Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems
70. The Notorious B.I.G. – Going Back To Cali
71. Zapp & Roger – More Bounce To The Ounce
72. Diddy Outro
Amazing album cover from Mickey Moonlight on Ed Banger. SoMe’s art direction is such large reason for the label’s success!
Sat in with Jesse from Apollo Sunshine for his early DJ gig at the Middlesex the othernight… hipped me to a Mickey Moonlight version of Sun Ra’s interplanetary music….
Jesse learned his way around the turntables from Edan the Humble Magnificent , who coincidentally just got his own radio show for download here. Odd thing about this city, Edan was Wire Magazine’s Hip Hop artist of 2005, but still didn’t have a following here…. Still the only emcee I’ve seen who could juggle two records with one hand and hold the mic & rhyme with the other hand (although I hear J-live can do it).
Our homie Jamie from Stones Throw records has brought in crazy talent to the summer sunday LA series the Do Over. Great live sets from PBW, Rhettmatic, Dam Funk, Adam12, Neil Armstrong, Nu-Mark , Mike B and Cosmo Baker all catalogued for downloading pleasure.
New work – also the name of a brilliant new line by A-ron – is up at the bodega – a mural by Nick Z whose 08 show with Kai Altoff was in art forum’s top 10 shows…. The mural coincides with Nick Z’s upcoming solo show at our gallery space - fourthwallproject . More on that closer to the opening on June 27th. Josh Falk, who’s flickr photos i pillaged above , just recently took down his solo show at the dope dope corduroy boutique in portland..
both Nick Z and Josh Falk are members of the uber talented crew Project SF which includes sooo many talented heads in the sneaker game.
Also, we made number 6 in the top 10 sneaker shops in the world.
#1 was UNDFTD!!! but I can’t believe they left Limited edition barcelona off the list…
The homeboy who wrote the article is working on an illustrated tribute to Sneaker Culture called “Sole Sketch Exhibition”. Hit him up at thestreetpulse.com with suggestions for models that you’d like to see included in the exhibition.
Also, we somehow ended up in Wale’s video for chillin (ft. lady gaga)…. been getting steady burn on the tele , but I haven’t seen the whole thing yet. Was dope to talk with the director Chris Robinson about how he leveraged his directing work into hyping his robot films clothing line just by dropping logo tees into videos… I’m surprised we don’t see more Violette in Vashtie’s work….but the since I’m seeing it so she doesn’t even need to do that.
Dan from the crew let me know about villains (LA) dope dope remixing on the come up.
,Speaking of LA , our homey Rick Rude’s been on the come up out there! Download his knockout mix here. Rick Rude moved out less than a year ago and locked down most of the important residencies out there with a quickness. Much respect .
With Hirst circumventing the gallery and going straight to auction, Murakami going head first into luxury brand dissemination of work, and sneaker companies hiring every graffiti writer I know, today’s artist sees a conscious shift in how commerce interacts with 1) the work, and 2) the artist as BRAND 3)gallery as (home furnishing)store.
Two legendary artists who remain entirely outside of white walls that confine & confuse many(thanks a lot postmodernism & abstract shite) are Jean Claude & Christo. You’ve probably heard of their art. You may have walked through their gates in Central Park. But the historical scope & financial aspects of their ephemeral installations are the thing that escaped me until I heard them speak of their work at the ICA a few weeks ago.
All their artwork is SELF FUNDED and the realization of their projects reflects fundamental changes in politics & economics. Christo does the preparatory sketches for the project on the top floor of the same manhattan loft they’ve lived in since the 1960s- where a young Philip Glass installed their plumbing. They pay for the rental of the site, all the processing & legal fees & meetings for the project to be approved.. every last red cent. They sell the preparatory sketches to their benefactors to generate these funds, and give the world these giant installations. This is where Wu-tang got their idea(maybe) to hustle the first run of 12″ for Protect ya Neck out the trunk until they could broker groundbreaking deals with multiple labels.
When i say that the works & their process reflect fundamental changes in politics & economics, it means that each single installation must win approval of the government & the landowners of its particular setting. When they wanted to wrap up the Reichstag, they had to convince German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder(as well as the entire structure below him) that their manifested daydream somehow made sense and would be a public good. Pragmatic politicians are notoriously hard to convince of the worth of art -especially abstracted giant public works. It took 9/11 and the election of Bloomberg to see the Gates in Central Park to fruition – a project that started in the late 1960’s. That scope of decades to execute art is lost in today’s immediate gratification culture, where trend cycles & public attention has diminished to a infinitely small point.
As artists, they perfectly meld modernism with social critique. As people, they are pure in mind and purpose. We hold artists(and some designers bridge this gap as well) to be the dreamers of society and I am thankful to have learned from these two through the ICA. I just wanted to write something from a former skeptic who now believes fully in what they do. So is the transformative nature of art.
A couple more peculiarities:
They were born on the same day at the same time.
They only sign their work.
Jean Claude only became an artist out of love for Christo. Had he become a dentist, she would have become a dentist.
They only discuss their work and cannot comment on any other artist.
They allow others to help build these creations. You can sign up at their website.
