December 15, 2006
11 Spring Street: A Look Inside
At 11am today, the Wooster on Spring project will open to the public. We've already taken a look at the outside of the building, and the interior before the painting began. Today we'd like to share some of our favorite pieces from the 30,000 square feet of interior space. What we've included below is just a small sampling of the art available inside-- to get the full effect, there is no substitute for visiting in person. The building can be found at the corner of Elizabeth and Spring, and it will be open until 5pm each day through Sunday.
Shepard Fairey
WK
Suicide Bombers
Cycle
Dface
Faile
Dface
Darkcloud
GoreB
Pink
Judith Supine and Friends
Bo and Microbo
Lister
Haculla
Momo/JR
Swoon
Doze
These are just a small selection from the hundreds of pieces of art on display-- some big, some small. And of course, many others, including the Soundlab music installation, can only be experienced in person. If you're unable to make the show, however, check out Streetsy.com-- we'll post the rest of our pictures from inside and outside the building there over the next couple of days.
Update: we put up some more pictures in part 2 of this post.
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Oh wow. A naked Statue of Liberty getting banged in the ass by a cross.
How artistic!
And babies on leashes! These guys are amazing!
Honestly, some of it is good, but the breathlessness that's used when talking about this place seems way overblown.
WORD!
Oh my god.
Wow, what ugly shit.
Well, It's certainly different.
word of suggestion: do not wear heels in this building! the gaps between the floor planks are just big enough to pose some problems.
I can't believe some people's reaction to these amazing photos. It's ugly? Different ?
What is this? Some fkkng ladies' auxillary knitting club in Iowa? "Golly, Bertha, some of that modern stuff shore is weird!"
what ever happened to oil paintings of landscapes?
dayam.
Wow, looking beautiful! It's nice to know that the work lives up to all the ridiculous hype.
Can't wait to see the art but have also wanted to see the inside since I was a little girl! This building was used to house horses at the turn of the century - can't wait to see the high archways and ceilings inside.
this stuff is awesome!
it's true, all the haters are so closed minded, it's almost quaint, and also timeless in a sense. sort of like the reaction of the masses to the cubists, impressionists, and almost any avant guarde art throughout history. if the knee jerk reaction is this negative, that means they are doing a lot of things right. good to know there's still a majority of morons out there. keep hating, douche bags!
WOW! I like them. They seem true, if not all to everyone's taste.
Some of the artwork is actually good. (Fairey, WK, Lister, Swoon, for example.)
But others reek of a 17-year-old high schooler's sketch book. (Dface, Pink and the second-to-last one, for example.)
Oh wow. A naked Statue of Liberty getting banged in the ass by a cross.
While I don't mind the artistic expression, even if I don't agree with the sentiment, could you guys not put borderline NSFW stuff on the front page.
at least put the majority of pictures after the jump. There's no need for as many on the main page as you have. I don't want to scroll so far to the next article. Yes, I'm lazy, but you're stupid.
"it's true, all the haters are so closed minded, it's almost quaint, and also timeless in a sense. sort of like the reaction of the masses to the cubists, impressionists, and almost any avant guarde art throughout history. if the knee jerk reaction is this negative, that means they are doing a lot of things right. good to know there's still a majority of morons out there. keep hating, douche bags!"
I like the work done, largely because it not done on someone elses property without permission. Call me a hater if I don't want to wake up one morning to a "beautiful" piece of artwork on my store front.
Don't you get it? If you don't like tasteless spraycan art with all the subtlety of a brick in the face, you're a closed-minded moron from an Iowan knitting circle.
I'm about to quit my job so i can head there today instead of tommorow. Can you update us on the line situation? Now that the times broadcasted it to everyone and their mother I'm worried about having to wake up real early on Saturday
It's kind of fun to watch the "shock of the new" unfold in real time as people post their reactionary responses to the work.
Stuff like this:
"what ever happened to oil paintings of landscapes?"
F'ing classic.
uh, #19, the comment on #8 was a joke......
#16:
what part of "30,000 square feet of interior space" do you not understand? retard.
if harold hunter is the voice of the ghetto, then i must be the voice of white america...
Yes, art is subjective and we are all entitled to our opinions. None of us HAVE to like any of this stuff.
But negative "critiques" of art works tend to mean something more when another ARTIST is sharing valid reasoning.
It's just disrepectful to dismiss stuff as "ugly" without at least keeping mind that large scale, mixed media work is a lot more difficult to successfully achieve than all of digital cameras pictures we'll walk away with from this installation.
Are you an artist?
Have you ever climbed up on a ladder or scaffolding to glue, paint and draw for hours on end?
Ever made any kind of visual art?
Sorry, arranging a pyramid of empty Budweiser cans on your "buddy's" coffee table doesn't count.
And yeah, just remember that the average artist isn't telling you guys which format your quarterly review should be submitted in.
Try to show some respect for people's artstic efforts.
It's nice to see something happening in the neighborhood that's not shopping.
As soon as those bastards start showing some respect for other people's property.
Frankly, your assumption that everyone here has no idea and has never created anything is horsecrap. More to the point, it demonstrates the same closemindedness you accuse everyone else of having.
I love how La Leone and his/her ilk are all about free speech when it's some ghetto kid with a spray can tagging someone's walls, but they hate it when it's a critique of the work that spray can created.
I'm shocked... Wait... No I'm not... At the hypocrisy.
La Leone, I extend, the same invitation to you that I have to others. Tell us where you live so we can do all kinds of beautiful art on your walls.
You won't because you love it when it's someone else's place.
Amen, Judy.
If you don't like the art and actually have something to say about the composition or subject matter then go for it but if all you can say is that it sucks without actually backing any of your statements only makes you sound provincial and ignorant. I'd hate to live in a world that was only populated by "acceptable" artisitic forms and all of them were controversial for their times. Good art always confronts the viewer and is often times in opposition to the time frame it was produced in. The most obvious examples of this are Donatello, Michaelangelo, Monet, and Van Gogh to name a few.
I personally find most of the graffitti to be beautiful. Yes there is quite a bit of high school-ness to some but that only adds to the overall statement (and that is what art boils down to-"visual statements") Hope to get a chance to see it once it's done.
line is LONG. i tried to go on lunch break around 12:30 and it was around the block. i'm going to go out again in a little bit and just suck it up and wait.
Just because something is confrontational doesn't make it good.
brian
calling this "good art" is a stretch and actually believing that this "art" is at all controversial is naive and ignorant in and of itself. since when has corporate art become so revered and celebrated? the only reason this whole spectacle is interesting is because people like you still believe that appropriating forms of art once recognized as controversial for the entertainment of bourgeoius soceity is acceptable, and even worse, something to be respected and glorified.
Oil paintings of landscapes? Really? F**k right off.
anyone else care to consult me?
I can't wait to see this site; and *hoping* that Wooster or someone will memorialize in book format by this time next year.
I wonder if the trash bags in "Faile" are part of the piece, or if that is really where the trash is kept. Either way, it looks pretty cool.
Betty - I think the fact that people's opinions on "street art" (graffiti, vandalism, or whatever you want to call it) are so divided, proves that it is still a controversial form of artistic expression. I tend to believe that there is no such thing as "good art" or "bad art"...it all depends on personal reaction interpretation. Also, "street art" usually carries with it a sense of community - it should be art that everyone can enjoy, bourgeois or not.
Also, "street art" usually carries with it a sense of community - it should be art that everyone can enjoy, bourgeois or not.
like the idiots who just write their tag all over everything? Like train windows, houses, and cars?
"like the idiots who just write their tag all over everything? Like train windows, houses, and cars?"
That's not exactly what I was referring to - I tend to recognize a difference between vandalism and "street art" (although others might not). I was simply trying to make a point that criticizing art for being "too bourgeois" goes against the purpose of street art as a whole.
regardless of what anyone thinks of the art (if you even think of it as art, etc.), it sure would be nice if the comments could be constructive and not juvenile. i read an interesting tidbit on kottke.org this morning called "the blog commenter's gaze" - it's in the URL link under my name. internet commenters (not just this site) should read it.
Some people are dumb, and there's not much you can do about it. Let them whine about "some ghetto kid with a spray can tagging someone's walls." If they can't differenciate that from this event, then that's their problem.
The most amazing thing about 11 Spring is the fact that a bunch of artists created something for the sake of the art. In the middle of Manhattan, a work of this magnitude done for free, and shown for free. Truly amazing.
Haculla-
You rule, dude!!!!
hellyeah!
Vinny-
I live on Maujer St in Williamsburg. Please tag all the buildings from top to bottom. Thanks!
This is soo awesome. I'll def come out to see this live.
Peace, a.
Vinny,
I was addressing the sentiment that this work was "ugly." I was trying to encourage respect for the artistic process and the intent -albeit in a smary and facetious way.
I SAID NOTHING ABOUT
"free speech when it's some ghetto kid with a spray can tagging someone's walls,"
This is a legal art exhibtion. Someone already pointed out how dumb you are not to see the difference. If you are so fucking upset about ghetto kids w/spray paint go talk to Peter Vallone or someone who cares about your opinion.
You're off topic!
And your invitation to give you my address is refused.
I shudder at the "art" you would put on my walls! Sorry, but writing "VINNY" in sharpie marker then adding football posters and a Victoria's Secret calendar doesn't count as art!
Why don't you give me YOUR address? I'm a painter and I'll paint anything you want, no matter cheesy as long as you are paying me the standard going rate for mural work.
In conclusion: Shaddup a you face and read posts clearly before responding!
Grazie!
Vinny wrote to me:
[25] Posted by: Vinny | December 15, 2006 1:46 PM
Frankly, your assumption that everyone here has no idea and has never created anything is horsecrap. More to the point, it demonstrates the same closemindedness you accuse everyone else of having.
I love how La Leone and his/her ilk are all about free speech when it's some ghetto kid with a spray can tagging someone's walls, but they hate it when it's a critique of the work that spray can created.
I'm shocked... Wait... No I'm not... At the hypocrisy.
La Leone, I extend, the same invitation to you that I have to others. Tell us where you live so we can do all kinds of beautiful art on your walls.
You won't because you love it when it's someone else's place.
Racist.
(according to Gothamist readers).
Hey there. I was there this morning. It was very busy. Best to get there early, like at 10 or so. 2 security gaurds at the door checking people with wands. Only ten people at a time up each flight of stairs. They were kinda loose with that though. They were as accomadating as they could be. Just be nice and respectful and everything went very very well. Marc from Wooster in particular was incredibly helpful and willing to assist and inform. But the line did indeed grow to around the block very quickly, and those who were waiting mustve waited a while, what with the security checks and limited amounts of people allowed on each floor. But go, its amazing, not just for the art, but for all the notions, ideas, and effects this production has set in place.
It's nothing short of incredible, the likes of which only happen every ten years or so.(?) If that. This event will become a historic moment, and not simply just because of the art. You have a chance to place yourself at that moment. You should.
Not that it matters, but I spoke with tv people who told me they were broadcsting for Spain and Italy. They recognize the importance of what is taking place.
Everybody involved will speak with you about the project, including the project manager for the owners of the building. Sara and Mark from Wooster, and Malcolm make themselves available as best they can. Make sure to say thanks. I took tons of pics, spoke with many of the artists, and got great video which is gonna go up as soon as I make time.
Pretty cool stuff I am starting to see more and more of the sticker art around town.
http://kylehoppes.wordpress.com/
Sorry, not a big fan of crayon and Andre the Giant stickers.
Interesting work, some good some not so good.
Very cool though.
There is NO difference between "street art" and vandalism if it's done on someone's property that has not given their permission. Screw someone's artistic expression if they are going to violate other people's property rights. These folks do not have any right to paint whatever they want, wherever they want with no respect to the rights of others. They do not DESERVE honest aesthetic evaluation of their effort unless they had a right to do the work to begin with. They do DESERVE hat e and criticism when they violate other people's rights. That is what justice is about people, treating people as the deserve and respecting another person's property trumps artistic expression every time.
seems pretty rough when people have nothing better to do than comment negatively about any piece of art. Whatsoever. You must totally miss the point. You don't have the right to down on anyone. Open your mind...use your brain here. The art is amazing...its amazing anyone could make a blank wall look like that. And all using their ideas. Respect those ideas.
-From, the stoner
"Interesting work, some good some not so good."
Wow! (My example exactly, for what I was saying in my previous comment...)
\ Bela Black, just for the record... what is "good", and how the hell would someone that communicates like you know what it is?
go ahead and make yourself feel better by downing on others...>
Wow! I wish I could be there to see it with my own eyes...
Oh and by the way everyone listen up to the rational biker...he knows what the law is and you better pay attention because the law comes first above art...(man I had to comment on this one)..."ok texas ranger...calm down and take a deep breath you're gonna blow a valve!!", we know public defacement is wrong and immoral, and that if the surface the art is on is not "owned" by the artist at time of the mural's conception than anything from that point on will be wrong and illegal. Perhaps that is in fact what makes it so "right", and so much fun for those that do it.
oh and by the way you guys also suck...I mean all of you that commented above
there I said it
-lata...
and peace be with you all
the_stoner,
It's precisely because I'm using my brain that I condemn those how violate other people's rights. Ad homs don't make good arguments.
What makes the art UGLY is not the aesthetic visual quality, it's the artist's lack of respect for another person's rights. At it's core that kind of "art" is conceptually flawed. It's not simply expressing the artist's vision of beauty (or whatever), it's demonstrating the artists horrible sense of value and life. It also represents the artist's inability to be self-sufficient in that he has to leech off of the property of others for his medium. There's nothing beautiful, noble or just about that.
mbless,
The fact that it's wrong makes it right? There's no logic or reason to that, and as such what you wrote does not merit rebuttal. Also, sarcasm is a poor replacement for an argument. (i.e. Texas Ranger, valve, etc.) Additionally, it makes no sense to place the word owned in scare quotes. Ownership is a just moral and legal concept. Vandalism is not.
The generation we are raising want truth. It may not always be pretty. Art is an expression of life. Life is not always pretty. These paintings feel truthful to me, and that is more important to me, and to the artist, than making everyone happy.
I buy art for a living, not fine art, I buy commercial design and I would hire many of these artists to craft a personality or a statement. The techniques are not traditional, but the style and voice that come from these walls are authentic.
Many of the comments in this thread are angry. What must your lives be like if truth in expression makes you angry? I find that sad.
These young artists are expressing themselves, their lives, the confusion, frustration, love, hate, happiness, saddness, etc. they feel ... how can that be anything but admirable? All artists risk rejection, critisism and embaressment when they display their works ... it seems inappropriate to me that so many have angry words.
Congrats go out to all of those that put a piece of themselves out on display!! I'll seek out more!!
And, for those of you that justify your anger by calling these artists vandals or taggers, you are speaking out of context. We are not looking at 'someone else's property' we are looking at a canvas, in this case, a giant building that was once ugly and is now covered with artistic expression. Liking it is not mandatory, but I would think your mothers would have taught you to say something nice or don't say anything. I know, I'm old-fashioned ... but I LOVE THIS ART!!
Honestly, I think this stuff is for the most part brilliant. There were one or two which I felt depth, there was in fact more to most of it than you seem to be able to handle
I like the idea of having walls painted in such a way. Some of it is very interseting to look at and some not.
They were COMMISSIONED. Can't you idiot PC'ers just hold your frickin tongues at a page about.... LEGAL GRAFFITI? If you don't like it so much, how did you find it here? And then you needed to write about how offensive it is, this stuff you were interested in enough to click through to. I'm guessing you write a lot about things you don't like on the net, because NOBODY LISTENS TO YOU in real life, because your opinions are from NINETEEN FORTY FIVE.
Maybe people do illegal graffiti because they want to live in a world of colour! In our capitalist society unfortunately it's just cheaper to make brown brick walls, so that's what companies do.
I have never stopped myself and taken an uplifting moment out of my day to admire an empty brown wall. I do stop all the time to look at free art on the sides of buildings. Call me crazy.
Shepard Fairey and D*FACE > YOU.
I think this got so much haters because this was on digg.com frontpage.
I love this stuff and I am going there tomorrow
Wow, people have a lot of time on their hands. But, I will say it's very expressional. To some this art is seen as disgusting, while others feel it is an exression of life. Could it be, that this is both. I guess wat i'm trying to say is, it's not THAT bad. It's still art.