ARTIST 13: ZEZAO

Museum of Modern Art Rosario

Completed Piece in Sewers of Sao Paulo, Brazil



On the Coast of Praia, Cape Verde



Streets of Paris



Catacombs in Paris

Catacombs in Paris

Cool Feature About Zezao on BBC 2008

Painting Catacombs in Paris

In 1993 Zezao's father passed away and his mother fell ill. This led to a a period of depression where Zezao states he had a "Sick Mind". At this point Zezao entered the sewers of Sao Paulo where he began to paint his signature blue pieces while the smell of foul water and dead animals would make most flee, this enviorment brought him peace as he felt truly alone away from the busy streets a place where he could reflect. Later in time as Sao Paulo's economy worsened he encountered families living in the water canals under the streets at this point he began to spend a mass amount of time making art within the subterranean "house" they were living. Zezao has now travelled to numerous countries painting work top side for the masses to see while still staying true to his love for the subterranean for a small number to see. Zezao to me is truly inspirational as he found light where it is dark and in turn has given the gift of art to the forgotten people of Sao Paulo and beyond. While mass society easily turns their back on this people Zezao refuses to do so.  

Interviewer:

 But Zezão, Why graffiti?

Zezao

“To be Illegal, Transgressive, and to obtain the “Surprise effect” of an art that suddenly appears.”

http://www.lost.art.br/zezao.htm

http://www.huckmagazine.com/enviro-features/going-under/

ARTIST 12: AARON HUEY



Young Girl in Reservation Basement, Pine Ridge Series

Member of Blood Gang at Wonded Knee Memorial,  Pine Ridge Series



Uch Sharif Pakistan, Pakistan After Bhutto Series



Pakistan After Bhutto Series



 Walk Across America Series

Walk Across America Series

Aaron Huey talks about "Pine Ridge" project 15 min.

Bill Board Project 3 minutes

Aaron Huey is not only an artist but a human rights activist. His recent project "Pine Ridge" explores the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Within this reservation the average male life expectancy is 47 years old and 90% of all families live off of less than $3,000 per year. In sizing up Aaron I would say he is a documentary photographer with a fine art eye. His workethic is fierce often spending numerous years working on a project, i.e "Pine Ridge" began in 2005 and is still making headway. Aaron freelances internationally while also acting as a staff photographer for National Geographic this has taken him to the war torn nations of Pakistan and Afghanistan along with other numerous impoverished areas such as Haiti and Siberia. Aaron's project "Walk Across America" is a must see and was captured as Aaron literally walked across America 3,349 miles over the course of 149 days. Aaron shows no sign of slowing and I feel his work only grows more poignant and personal as he ages, he is definitely and artist/humanitarian on the rise.

"My success is not measured in money. I have no financial security, I have no savings account. I measure my success by asking myself if I’m telling a story that the world needs to hear, if I am educating people." - Aaron Huey

http://www.aaronhuey.com/

Link to Video and Article about Pine Ridge Billboard Project

ARTIST 11: CONOR HARRINGTON



Graffiti Painting, 2011

Untitled, Dublin 2011

Untitled, Bethlehem 2010



Untitled, Bethlehem 2010



Untitled, Fame Festival Italy 2009

Untitled, NYC Meat Packing District 2008

CLICK HERE...Sick Short Film! Conor in Tel Aviv, Israel and Bethlehem.



Fine art meets street art with a kick of political oomph for good measure. Conor Harrington's work to the viewer is a Rubik's Cube of "How?" his work is filled with movement with a "Sloppy" technique that oozes the aesthetic value of a renaissance master. Whether in Bethlehem or Dublin there is always a wall awaiting Conor. If you didn't know of Conor Harrington now you do and I all I can say is stay tuned because this guy only gets better with time!

http://conorsaysboom.wordpress.com/

http://www.lazinc.com/artists/conor-harrington/

http://slamxhype.com/slambase/conor-harrington/

Postponed

Unfortunately it has been one thing after another. Computer virus then another virus, Internet down and long days at the job that currently pays the bills. I am going to postpone 101artists post until Mid-July. I am getting ready to get married, working on several artistic endeavors and leaving on a honeymoon in June. Due to this I am going to step back until Mid-July by that time the pace will have slowed and I can give 101 more attention.

Join me on Facebook to find out about the relaunch, look for Matt Ivey Denver CO.

Thanks for your support, stay up!

ARTIST 10: NADAV KANDER

Nanjing II (Metal Palm), Jiangsu Province 



Hockey Billboard and Highway 147, Durham, USA



Diver Salt Lake, Utah

Torn Posters, England



Elizabeth's Shoes

Nadav Kander is a master of both light and composition. They say in order to be a great photography you must have an eye, Nadav has a gift. I believe he could make a paramount image from any subject matter i.e. Torn Posters, England while it is the simplest of compositions it somehow has great depth. Diversity is often a skill that artist lack especially photographers. Nadav shoots it all which is a rarity in an arena where there are "Portrait Photographers" and "Landscape Photographers" Nadav stands atop each genre.

Please check out his website it was extremely difficult to get images as most of his work is heavily copyrighted. His portfolio is absolutely one of the best and will inspire you to capture better images.

http://www.nadavkander.com/
Obama's People Photographs by Nadav Kander

ARTIST 9: BLEK LE RAT

Rats, Paris early 80's

Self Portrait, Paris 1986



No More War, Berlin 2003



David, New York 2006

Blek Le Rat Wheatpasting in New York 2006

Homeless Sleeping Bag, Paris 2007

Banksy, Banksy everywhere....

Has everyone forgot about Blek Le Rat? Le Rat was stenciling the streets of Paris long before Banksy's work ever surfaced in London. Yet Blek Le Rat has never become American institution, he has never created the opening sequence for "The Simpson's" and Brad Pitt has never been photographed in attendance at one of his gallery exhibitions. Well he is French and there for a moment we were eating "Freedom Fries"? Yet at almost 60 years old he continues to create "street" art with no signs of slowing.

  Interview selection from Format Magazine 2007:

FM: Why are they doing this?

BLR: “The graffiti movement,” he says, “has no other intention than to speak via pictures. Words for the community, words of love, words of hatred, of life and death.”

“It’s just a fine and subtle kind of therapy and an attempt to fill the emptiness of this terrible world, to cover public space with pictures that people going to work can enjoy.”

The Man Who Gave Birth to Banksy
20 Questions with Blek Le Rat
http://bleklerat.free.fr/

ARTIST 8: JOHN CHAMBERLAIN

Dolores James, 1962

Chamberlain in his spray booth, 2010

Flywheelsonata, 2007

Onecaratstud, 2010

Going "Green" is all the fad these days hell even I often paint on found wooden panels. However while the bandwagon of artist turning "Trash" into art is currently vast it is by no means new. John Chamberlain has been turning trash into art for over 50 years. John has yet to slow now into his eighties he still creates awe-inspiring sculptures from discarded items. John has a soft spot in his heart for junk cars using metal panels and parts to create magnificent sculptures from waste. While you may not enjoy John's work one should respect what John has brought to the table and is unflinching work ethic.

http://www.johnchamberlain.cc/
http://www.anthonymeierfinearts.com/artist/chamberlain/artistmain.htm
http://www.chinati.org/visit/collection/johnchamberlain.php

ARTIST 7: ANTHONY LISTER

Uncommsioned Street Art, Miami 2010

Coke Man Action Figure

What can I say about Anthony Lister that this book title doesn't Anthony Lister: Tales of a White Trash Prophecy. Born 1979 in Brisbane Australia he now resides in Brooklyn New York where he is considered a leader in the "Low Brow art Movement". A movement consisting  of artists who don't care if they are recognized by the fine art community instead want their work to speak to "the people". Raising his middle finger to the fine art community has in turn rocketed him to the top of commercial success where ironically he is now considered by fine art collectors as 1 of the 50 most collectible artist of today. Anthony balances his fame by completing "uncommissioned street art" at a prolific rate providing free art for the masses. Stay tuned as Lister may be coming to a town near you.

http://www.listerart.com.au/

http://showandtellgallery.com/artist_profile.php?id=124

Anthony Lister Masks For Sale
Anthony Lister: Tales of White Trash Prophecy

ARTIST 6: LIEKO SHIGA

"Wedding Veil" 2007 from Canary

"Remember That" 2007 from Canary

"Garden 2" 2005 from Lily

"Irana" 2004 from Damien Court

A professor in college once told me that art's sole purpose should be to elicit emotion. That simple statement was the greatest thing I learned in my 6 years (yes 6 years and I am not a doctor) of higher education.
Lieko Shiga's work does exactly that it provokes an emotional response in the viewer whether it be positive or negative her work makes the viewer think and feel "something".

"Her photographs are mysterious, intimate and emotional. For her series Lilly she photographed the people living in her block in East London. She covered an outside wall completely with a black cloth and photographed the people in front of it."

Quote by Pieter Wisse http://www.500photographers.blogspot.com/


http://www.liekoshiga.com/ 
Great Interview with Lieko from Tokyoartbeat.com 
http://chngyaohong.com/blog/japan/lieko-shiga/

ARTIST 5: JENNY HOLZER

Berlin, 2001

Bregenz, 2004

New York, 2005

San Diego, 2007

Washington D.C, 2007

Conceptual art is often so far-fetched and personal to the producing artist that the public struggles to perceive the underlining meaning. In 1977 Jenny Holzer pushed past the boundary producing short statements using standard text these statements were labeled "Truism's". Printed on shirts, hats and posters these works were later displayed on a large scale using neon/LED signs and Xenon projection. Jenny Holzer displays her work minus a signature or any identifying mark so that the work remains anonymous in an effort to not "Cloud" the purpose of the text. When viewing her work remember art can be whatever you want it to be.
 
http://www.jennyholzer.com/
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/holzer/
http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/holzer.html

ARTIST 4: NECK FACE

The "Art World" is a pretentious place where you will often find artists spewing forth nonsense so that their work may serve a higher purpose and ultimately be sold to an individual with more money than taste. Then there is Neck Face whose work looks as though it was produced by a satanic preschooler. Neck Face is best known for his "Devilish Street Art" with a humorous twist but in recent years has transcended past the streets on to the gallery walls. Neck Face has stayed true to his style and technique, his work serving the primary purpose of mass appeal and disgust. Neck Face makes art for the "Wal-Mart Audience"; enjoy his work and leave the glass of wine and beret behind.

Quote from Neck Face:

Interview: What do you think you're bringing to the "Art World"?

Neck Face: Witches and hairy things.

http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=332&Itemid=92
http://www.robotswillkill.com/graffiti/showgraff.php?artist_id=2819