www.theartofasbestos.com

video by king adz

FROM THE MOUTH OF ASBESTOS (on the boxing club project):

I was introduced to Ligoniel Amateur Boxing Club by the guys who run the Safehouse Gallery and on my way to Belfast on the train that day, the usual images and preconceptions of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland came to mind. But I wasn’t interested in adding to a landscape of film, painting and literature that couldn’t escape the images of violence and division from the past. It was my intention to create a body of work focusing on people who’re making a difference in their community despite all the shit that goes on around them.

I got to know the guys from the club, each had a story, each had a reason to be drawn to boxing and the small club that was a home and a safe family. I came away from that club with a head full of stories and a meaningful idea for an exhibition in Belfast. My initial fear was that these guys would treat me with suspicion, but each was open and honest, happy to talk while I photographed.

The following day, I scoured the streets in different parts of Belfast for the signature yellow Ace Bates skips (he’s the king of the Belfast skip world). I hoped that they might contain the detritus of the city; wood, metal and any other objects that told the cities history for me to paint on. I pulled pieces from skips in the Holy Land, the Shankill Road, the Lisburn Road and the Falls, then I hauled them home to the studio in Dublin to paint.

Why we love Brooklyn and Paul Auster maybe as well…

And other treats and tastes to look fwd come summer as well.

imaginaryanimals.com

terryhughesimages.com

En mars, on fête la journée intrenationale de la Francophonie partout. À Hong Kong, les dix mots qui allument le thème de cette année sont:
ailleurs, capteur, clair de terre, clic, compatible, désirer, génome,
pérenne, transformer, vision

journée de la francophonie 2009 à Hong Kong

Les activités ne se limitent pas à la lecture ou la poésie. Le documentaire “La Caravane des dix mots Hong Kong” récapitule des soirées de ‘Slam’ ou ’spoken-word’ ainsi que des entrevues, tous en encourgeant la visibilité de la culture francophone parmi le public hongkongais.

JR, Face 2 Face - Photo par MaTT-

Décidément ils sont nombreux les street artist anonyme ! (écrit ainsi on pourrais penser à une association de soutien …). Souvent à la limite du légal (voir rarement légal) le street art est donc anonyme, pas de gloire personelle, pas d’argent en jeux, à croire qu’on en arrive à “l’art pour l’art” dans une forme “pure”.

Mais revennons à notre ami JR, jeune photographe français. Il ne prend pas la rue en photo, mais retourne le concept de photographie urbaine en exposant ses photos dans la rue, à travers le monde.

Il à notamment organisé la plus grande expo illégale au monde dans 8 pays simultanément, avec la série Face 2 face !

Pour en savoir plus vous pouvez consulter son site : http://jr-art.net/
Un autre site sur l’expo Women : http://28millimetres.com/women/

Enfin une vidéo sur son expo face 2 face :

http://www.dailymotion.com/videox1bsn0

as seen in Instituto Cervantes de Pékin’s Fiesta de Arte Urbano: Graffiti y música hip-hop in December 2008. It was a rendition by artist from suso33.com.

ice hands by glasco54

Yes it is almost Valentine’s day, the cheesy, romantic, greeting-card holiday that people love or hate. Either way, if you send a message with CitySPK this Valentine’s, you’ll be sure to impress.

Alternately you can graffiti it, or maybe look around your city at what’s already there. I found some beautiful deaf graffiti last week. It’s true, a lot can be said without any words. Happy Valentine’s day.

yuan xiao (元宵): noun, Lantern Festival / Fête des lanternes.

yuan xiao in Taiwan, Feb 2009

photo credit: enixii

Yuan xiao, or the de facto Valentine’s Day for the Chinese, the fifteenth day of the lunar calender, the first full moon after Chinese new year, etc., means lots of lanterns and lights, no matter where you are.

La quinzieme journée du nouvel an chinois, aussi la première lune complète visible, égale la St-Valentin pour les chinois, où les lanternes s’affichent partout.

lanterns, Tai Po Waterfront Park, Hong Kong, Feb 2009