Colin M. Day‘s video for ROA is a beautiful work that you must see if you didn’t make it to ROA’s April Show at White Walls. It’s also a must-see even if you did make it to the April Show! Time-lapse shots of the process of decay and ROA’s words read by Alf Pollard create a feeling that you’re watching a nature documentary, even when the camera pans over familiar San Francisco streets and buildings, the feeling that you’re seeing the city in an entirely different way remains.
ABOVE’s latest work in Australia has been a collaborative project with Chris Edser, Tristan Kerr, and Ankles on a public mural commissioned by the Adelaide city council. Despite setbacks and complications, ABOVE and his partners did exactly what his nom de’plume inspires and rose above those troubles to make a beautiful finished work you can view in the video below.
In his own words, ABOVE, on the making of the Adelaide public mural and his collaborators:
“I was flown to Adelaide, Australia to paint a mural on a 63 metre (200 foot) long wall. Within just 3 days of my arrival I fell and broke my scapula in 2 parts as well as suffering from a head concussion ending up in the hospital twice. Part of my responsibilities for this mural project was to be a mentor to 3 already extremely talented local Australian artists making this project a collaborative effort and highly entertaining. As a collective we decided to comment and paint a word play to relate the adversities of this wall’s rocky surface, and fact that I literally fell broke my bones during this project. In the end it was the words that were always there to save us!
Please familiarize yourself with the amazingly talented crew of artists who made this project come to life.
CHRIS EDSER is an illustrator and wood-carving artist from Adelaide, Australia. Recently he has been experimenting with installing carved wooden sculpture in street-settings and has an interest in hand-illustrated typography.
TRISTAN KERR is a highly accomplished screen printer, painter, and graphic designer who lives and works in Adelaide, Australia.
Graphic designer, and public artist ANKLES currently lives in Adelaide, Australia. ANKLES has participated in many creative projects around Australia.
JOSHUA FANNING is the director of a small, low-brow art gallery in Adelaide’s seedy end of town called MAGAZINE GALLERY. Josh’s Gallery exists to keep artists from exhibiting in restaurants and he thought that bringing ABOVE to Adelaide, Australia would be a progressing move for his city of Adelaide and the residents that live there.”
Ferris Plock’s talent landed him the winning nomination for “Best Wild Things Artist” in The Best of SF 2010, a spot we’re very happy to see him in! Best of SF expounded on handing Plock the award with some well-deserved compliments: ” Like Maurice Sendak before him, the wilds of local painter and illustrator Ferris Plock’s imagination are populated by beasts with exaggerated features and human characteristics. He keeps the devils in the details, and his surreal creatures with oversized eyes and canines are more cartoonish than nightmarish. The sharp lines and swirls that embellish his images — and those of Kelly Tunstall, his talented wife, with whom he often collaborates — turn galleries into jungles of animated artistry.”
White Walls Gallery and curator Justin Giarla are proud to present a diverse collection of urban contemporary artists at the inaugural installation of ArtPad SF. The artwork featured in this year’s lineup varies in medium, ranging from spray paint and stencil to oil-on-panel photorealism, displaying the depth and range of work regularly featured in the gallery.
Ferris Plock “Feed the Beast” 2010
Also as part of the inaugural installation of ArtPad, White Walls will be hosting a panel discussion with international street artists Blek le Rat, EINE, and APEX, moderated by Art Consultant Alan Bamberger and Justin Giarla on Saturday, May 21 at 1 pm.
Erik Otto recently published the latest installment in his self-published series Paper Fabric Wood. This special edition covers all the work Otto has made throughout 2010, and is first being offered as part of a gift set which includes an original 5×7 inch mixed media drawing on chipboard, available here.
Meighan O’Toole stumbled upon one of ROA‘s street murals while walking on Valencia the same night as his closing party for New Works by ROA at White Wall’s, and took some awesome shots of him in action for My Love For You. We love how excited everyone is to see ROA at work. The speed at which he can apply his incredible detail work and shading is almost impossible to believe! Seeing that talent take place is an incredible feeling!
Spencer Cunningham’s latest video shows ROA painting a wall made available by Wall Space at Polk and Hemlock and another at 15th and Valecia. Chris Shaher, founder of Wall Space, speaks of plans for a continuous circulation of the city’s walls that Wall Space has established for artists as a way of “curating an outside gallery,” an idea that San Francisco is lucky to see put into action!
We know you’ve heard us mention Wall Space before, notably for all the walls they procured for EINE throughout March, their help with Indoor Mural Project and finding sweet spots for ROA to paint his magic on! Wall Space has a site you should visit for updates on new projects and make sure to read the inspiring ideas that Wall Space was formed upon, below:
Wall Space Mission Statement
“Wall Space was started to provide artists from all over the world a stage to express their ideas and abilities. As we all know most street artists must use illegal means to get their idea across to the public. WS wants to allow these artists the time to perfect their art in a legal manner on the most advantageous public viewing areas. By enabling the artists the time and freedom of expression WS hopes that the communities where these murals are made will be enriched with color and thought provoking imagery. While doors are being closed on businesses and homes through these tough times in our worlds economy, WS wants to open the doors for creativity and other forms of communication. Art has always been a way to break through cultural and lingual barriers and WS is no exception. By providing spaces internationally, Wall Space will continue to connect the world through the love of art.”
Not enough thanks can go out to Walls Space because without them there are many amazing mural that couldn’t have happened. Take a look at a few after the jump! Read more »
ROA has been back in San Francisco for less than 48 hours and already he has new street art painted in the city! Visit White Walls tomorrow night and find out more! The closing party for the exhibition New Works by ROA starts at 6pm and only lasts until 8pm so make sure to schedule us into your Saturday night plans and get a final look at ROA’s finely crafted handiwork!
