“Lost &Found” at Mighty Tanaka- 1.13.12

Hey all,

I’m honored to be part of this group show on Friday- please come through and peep some amazing art. See ya there!

Lost & Found, our first show of 2012, explores the usage of found materials and how artists choose to reinterpret the world around them.  Featuring the artwork of five very different artists, Adam Void, Alice Mizrachi, Curtis Readel, ELLE &John Breiner, their work both compliments and juxtaposes, as they express themselves through a myriad of techniques and approaches centering around artwork created from found objects.

Lost & Found Opening Reception:

 Friday, January 13th

(show runs until February 5th)

6pm – 9pm

 111 Front Street, Suite 224

Brooklyn, NY 11201

 (F Train to York Street, A/C Train to High Street)

Mighty Tanaka presents:

Lost & Found

Featuring the artwork of Adam Void, Alice Mizrachi, Curtis Readel, ELLE & John Briener

Look around you; the world is full of art.  We all know the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, however, some individuals choose to take that phrase to heart.  Artists from a range of disciplines utilize a world of scattered debris, creating an array of striking creations from the items that many people would find worthless.  Mighty Tanaka is pleased to bring you our first show of 2012 entitled Lost & Found, a group show of found objects and the artwork that is created from them.  Featuring the vision of Adam Void, Alice Mizrachi, Curtis Readel, ELLE & John Breiner, each artist represents a unique idea of the world through their chosen method of creation.

Lost & Found intends to demonstrate a cross-section of aesthetic interpretation of objects that are generally taken for granted in daily life.  Artwork made from found materials provides the artist with an endless amount of inspiration, as all the necessary components are easily accessible and free to use.  This is the art of the juxtaposition, both complimenting and conflicting itself, as the work is literally born from the streets and transformed into something that is new, exciting and fresh.

Through the usage of mediums such as old beat up currency, abandoned pieces of wood, detached doors and tattered textiles, the artist is able to rebuild forgotten memories and forge them into a new identity.  Lost & Found offers the viewer the opportunity to reconnect with the pieces of the past and the chance to begin anew.

Art Basel 2011 Recap

I been juggling a few projects since November so I’m just getting caught up on the blog. Directly after the Chevy Sonic project I went to Art Basel to paint and show some work. I was impressed with both good and bad art. Most of all it was so much fun painting with my friends in the beautiful sunny weather.Below is a brief slideshow of my experience in Miami for Art Basel 2011. check it

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CHEVY SONIC Urban Art Project

A few weeks ago I worked on this amazing #urbanart project for @Chevylife painting a brand new Chevy #Sonic. I was teamed up with  Zoo York Pro Skaters Rodney Torres and Eli Reed for a collaborative project showcasing art and skate culture. With inspiration from Rodney and Eli, I created a cityscape wrapped around the car with Flushing Meadows Unisphere in Queens on the hood. The project was so much fun gave me the opportunity to rock out on a new surface. The crew I worked with were real cool and I got to vibe out and enjoy the process.

Check out the flicks and footage below.

Part 1

Part 2

Thanks to Christian Driggs and the whole Big Fuel team for doing such a great job!!!!

Flushing Meadows Corona Park- Shooting Rodney & Eli talk about Maloof Skate Park.

Eli Reed talking about his experiences as a skater.

Rodney Torres sharing his passion for skating and what building Maloof Park was like for him.

Ready to get down on the car! Got all the inspiration from the prior day at Maloof Park and my research. These cans definitely got me siked when I walked into the studio ready to paint- they were color organized:)

Eli Reed and Rodney Torres after revealing the car to them.

A detail of one of the messages hidden in the cityscape.

For my concept I decided to go with the idea of Rodney and Eli’s experiences with Maloof Park. I wanted to incorporate life living in the city but still showing the borough both me and Rodney come from- Queens. Since we were in the park when it was raining I wanted to include the elements we deal with in NYC.  I was super inspired by the fall colors in the rain. I added that to the design of the car by including warm fall colors. One side of the car had a sun suggesting daytime while the other side showed a moon suggesting night. I also added seasonal shifts into the design- the hood shows a warmer summer/ spring season, the sides show the fall and the gradient with white to the rear of the car suggests a cooler climate- Winter. Surrounded by all these elements we still manage to do what we love, in my case make art and in their case skateboard. The elements challenge us to become better and more passionate about what we do.

It feels so good to be inspired by the smallest things in life- friends, seasons, life experiences; and to be able to share these things in my art with the world is a real dream come true!

Bronx Mural

This summer I was asked to join a wall in the Bronx with some really dope artists- check it:

LES Girls Club Mural- September 2011

Had a great time this summer painting a mural with the ladies in full effect at The Lower East Side Girls Club for The Citizen Jane Mural Project. Peep the pics below:) Some of the YOUNITY women were reppin’- check it…

Lichiban getting down with her piece in progress…

Marthalicia Mataritta did a beautiful Harriet Tubman tribute.

Lexi Bella and Gia collaborated on this piece- was so great meeting the baby Lexi!

Thanks Jenny for organizing this mural project!!!

Thanks to the youth for assisting me in the process- loved your input and collaboration:)

Completed Soujourner Truth mural. I enjoyed painting this piece.

Please feel free to some to the unveiling on:

Tuesday, Nov. 22th, 4pm at Lower East Side Girls Club 56 East 1st Street the mural is located a few doors down at the community garden.

YOUNITY PANEL DISCUSSION- 11.12.11 at 3pm

YOUNITY is hosting a panel discussion on “Women Innovators in Art and Agriculture”. Come check it out!

Please see flier below for more info:

“Women Innovators in Art and Agriculture”
Saturday, November 12, 2011 3 p.m.
Heimbold Visual Arts Center
Sarah Lawrence College
Kimball Avenue, Yonkers 10708 (Bronxville P.O.)

In conjunction with the art exhibition GODDESShood: Our land is our jewel, on view at the Yonkers Public Library from September 10 – December 4, 2011, the Younity female urban art collective and Sarah Lawrence College present a roundtable discussion on art as a social change agent and its relationship to sustainable agriculture and development. Panelists will contribute and exchange knowledge on current trends in seed exchanges, permaculture, issues in small to medium scale farming, urban agriculture, and artist driven sustainable development projects.

Panelists:
Alice Mizrachi, Artist / Co-founder, Younity Arts, Queens, NY
Co-curator GODDESShood: Our land is our jewel
Elissa Blount Moorhead, Vice Director / Director of Design, Programming and Exhibitions, Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn, New York
Molly Meehan, CAES Community Outreach and Education Coordinator, Accokeek Foundation and Community Farm, Accokeek, Maryland
Founder, Centro Ashe, Washington DC / Costa Rica
Moderator:
Diana McClure, Artist/Curator/Writer/Editor, Brooklyn, NY
Co-curator GODDESShood: Our land is our jewel

For directions and parking information please visit: www.slc.edu/directions

YOUNITY Panel Discussion(new)

Rooftop Legends 2011

2 weeks ago I painted at the Rooftop Legends event, was really fun painting with friends and enjoying the session. The rooftop is filled with pieces and art along with a mini skate park that kept it fun and active throughout the event. If you’re in the LES go check out the rooftop space- its really inspiring!

This piece is inspired by my brother in law- Joe who passed away 3 years ago. Whenever I paint walls, butterflies often come to visit me. I feel like its Joe coming to say hi, I see you:) It makes me feel so comforted.  Hence the title “The Butterfly Effect”.

Thanks to JOSEPH PAIS for putting this dope space together for artists to come and do their thing…

GO CHECK IT: New Design High School Rooftop- 350 Grand Street btw Ludlow an Essex Streets

YOUNITY “GODDESShood” video

Check this YOUNITY video out for the “GODDESShood” exhibtion- if you didnt see it heres a teaser…

ASTORIA mural 2011

This summer I worked on a wall with Free5, Cern, and Jaz in Astoria. Check out the stitched pic…

Thanks to Free5 and Smith for the invite!

YOUNITY “GODDESShood” Recap

SO it’s taken me a week to recover from all my recent shows but I’m back and ready to rock the next few gigs. Below are some pics from the YOUNITY exhibition in Yonkers. If you didn’t get a chance to go to the opening you should really make the trip out and check out the show. The neighborhood is beautiful and you can chill by the water and eat lunch at Hudson cafe after you go to the gallery.

Thanks to Cristobal Diaz for filming the event- video coming soon!

LMNOP

Marthalicia Matarrita

Diana McClureAlice Mizrachi

Swoon

me n the fam

Sofia Maldonado

Krista Franklin

Lady Alezia

LichibanFaith 47

Thanks to Susan Kart for bringing her Sarah Lawrence students and working hard to bring YOUNITY programming to Yonkers!

Thanks to Stephen Force from Yonkers Public Library for supporting our mission and bringing Younity to Yonkers Public Library!

Thanks to Yvette for handling PR- love u sweets!Bringing peoples together with similar life goals feels good- George, Leiann and Jess came thru to support:)

Make sure to sign our guest book when you come see the show!

Ok its time to leave- thanks to the crew who really made it happen!

Enjoying the sun after the opening outside on the library steps. RiverFest (block party) was going on during our event so we had to check it out…Then we went to the Hudson Cafe to get some celebratory drink and food. So nice to eat by the water- it felt like we took a vacation.

Eva, Diana and Clive… lol fun times!

Beautiful sunsets- an excellent way to end a great event!

Thanks to Diana McClure, Marthalicia Matarrita, LMNOP, Swoon, Sofia Maldonado, Krista Franklin, Lady Alezia, Lichiban, Faith 47, Yvette Devito, Samia Grand Pierre, Susan Kart, Stephen Force, Marko Jokic, Cristobal Diaz and Elise Herszkowicz  for contributing to the production of this exhibition.

Look out for the rest of YOUNITY’s “GODDESShood” programming this fall including a panel discussion at Sarah Lawrence College and a mural in a local Yonkers high school.