ABOVE’s classic wordplay arrows are a nice addition to our ceiling; spinning in all their glory and cleverness. $750 a piece so get one while you still can.
ABOVE also hit up the bathroom before any of you could..
See you kids tomorrow night…
Blek le Rat, accompanied by D Young V, posted some great pieces down on Jones and O’Farrell. Make sure to swing by to have a look, but in the meantime check the photos…
Blek le Rat : O'Farrell and Jones
D Young V and Blek le Rat
Sunday, the work began on Blek le Rat and ABOVE’s two man show at White Walls opening this Saturday, May 1st. From us to you – a sneak peak of whats to come.
Check out additional photos on our Flickr page.
Blek le Rat presents Faces in the Mirror alongside ABOVE’s Transitions
Opening Reception Saturday, May 1st, 2010 from 7-11pm
If you weren’t already planning on attending our May 1st opening featuring a two man show with Blek le Rat and ABOVE – you will after you watch this video. Take a peak, and be sure to swing by Saturday, May 1st from 7 – 11pm.
“It’s going to be a great packed show,” Above wrote us in an email this morning. He also included images of the “Gift Pack” he is preparing for the opening of Transitions on May 1, 2010. Details from Above:
“150 Free gift packs for only the first 150 people that attend the show and ask for one. Each is custom printed, embossed and signed as well as the little souvenir inside. I’m keeping a secret what is inside each gift pack but I can tell you that each package is signed, embossed and printed by me… Inside will be a souvenir of the show. Busy finalizing shit up here. I’m coming Sunday!!!”
Be here next Saturday, May 1 from 7-11pm to view new works by Above and Blek le Rat at White Walls Gallery. Don’t be late!
Above is a street art nomad known for traveling to over 45 countries solely for the sake of creating public art. He has put himself to the test this year, venturing for the first time to apply his street skills to surfaces more suited for indoor viewing. We are glad that Blek le Rat was able to persuade Above to slow down and stay in one place long enough to develop an entire collection, and we can’t wait to see the two artists reunite at our gallery this May. Above dropped us a few previews of his show, “Transitions,” opening May 1, 2010 at White Walls Gallery. Check em out and be sure to look up this May- you may find one or two Above markings in good old San Francisco.
See more of what Above and Blek le Rat have brewing on our flickr page.
Akira currently has 18 pieces hanging in White Walls’ group show, New Territory, and people are taking notice. The artist appears in the current issue of San Francisco’s Nichi Bei Weekly with an article titled, “Identity & Art: San Francisco Based Artist Finds Identity After Connecting with His Japanese Heritage.” Vivien Kim Thorp writes,
“Using portraits of celebrities and historical figures, the paintings tackle apathy, nihilism and the celebrity as object. Somber figures such as authors and philosophers, are often presented in tacky or trendy fashions, while movie stars, rap stars and other objects of celebrity worship are caricatured with sharp textual commentary alongside.”
Come by before April 25, 2010 to see what the hype is all about!
Over three decades ago, Blek le Rat was a young French artist painting his portrait around Paris in pursuit of fame. He now stands unchallenged as the grandfather of stencil art, a medium pioneered by Blek and carried on by all subsequent generations. In the past few months, Blek le Rat’s studio has swelled with 16 paintings ranging from 24 x 30 inches to 78 x 51 inches, three print editions, and ten photograph editions. These works are currently en route from France to our own gallery in San Francisco, where a two man show with Blek le Rat and Above will be mounted for May 1, 2010. Take a look at what’s to come with this short video shot by Blek le Rat and his wife, Sybille Prou. Look out for the infamous rat stencil, Blek drawing an androgynous ballerina, the iconic sheep, a redefined Mona Lisa, and a red, white, and blue rat.
The spectacle says nothing more than, “what appears is good, what is good appears”
Blek le Rat. White Walls. May 1, 2010.
Stencil art pioneer and street art legend Blek le Rat will be joining us in White Walls on May 1, 2010 for a two man show with Above. With Hush showing just next door in The Shooting Gallery, the house will be full with three street artists making history on an international scope. Such an occasion calls for a night on the town (or a few) so be looking out for fresh wall pieces from Blek le Rat, Above, and Hush around San Francisco. In the meantime, Blek sent over this documentation of recent pieces in Melbourne and Mexico City. Stay tuned for more from Blek’s upcoming exhibition, Faces in the Mirror opening May 1, 2010 at White Walls.
Melbourne 2009
Melbourne 2009
Melbourne 2009
Mexico City 2009
Mexico City 2009
To get familiar with Blek, check out this Blek le Rat Video Interview or watch the video below (released with his 2008 book, Getting Through the Walls).
Faces in the Mirror by Blek le Rat
&
Transitions by Above
Opening May 1, 2010 from 7-11pm at White Walls
White Walls is proud to present a joint show: Faces in the Mirror by Blek le Rat and Transitions by ABOVE. This exhibition brings together the original pioneer stencil artist and his younger counterpart utilizing stencils to create public art in over 40 countries around the world. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, May 1st 2010, from 7-11 pm.
This homage to stencil art marks Blek le Rat’s first show in San Francisco as well as the debut indoor exhibition of ABOVE. The meeting of these two artists is a passing of the torch from the original stencil artist to a younger generation of urban artists following in his legacy. Blek let Rat first pioneered stencils in the early 80s as a bold, attention grabbing form of street art that was never before seen. ABOVE is the prominent stencil artist of the new generation, drawing on Blek’s methods to project a social message into the urban environment.
Blek le Rat resides outside of Paris, the very city he claimed 30 years ago as a platform for social commentary. He was the first of his time to employ stencils and spray paint for fast, high contrast images on city walls. Faces in the Mirror is a collection of Blek’s iconic imagery of beggars, sheep, rats, and Michelangelo’s David with an AK-47, combined with never before seen images such as Mona Lisa. These forms open conversation about consciousness, social relation, mass media, and commodity fetishism. Known as the godfather of stencil graffiti art, Blek le Rat has been the great inspiration for artists worldwide including Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Space Invader, WK Interact, and ABOVE.
ABOVE has devoted the past 8 years to creating street art in 45 countries around the world, refusing to take his focus off the streets even for gallery exhibitions. It is only because of Blek le Rat’s strong desire to show alongside him that ABOVE finally conceded to his premier indoor exhibition. Transitions is based on three themes from his outdoor works: sign language arrow mobiles, wordplay murals, and colorful figurative stencils. The overarching sentiment is one of optimism, honor, overcoming struggle, and a desire to rise above.
Please join us for the opening reception of Faces in the Mirror by Blek le Rat and Transitions by ABOVE on Saturday, May 1st, 2010, from 7-11pm. The exhibit will be on view through June 5th, 2010, and is open to the public.
